


Nighttime Sunshine

by phomarciam



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Autistic Noctis Lucis Caelum, Barista Prompto Argentum, Chubby Prompto Argentum, Digital Art, Gender Dysphoria, Insecurity, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Photographer Prompto Argentum, Pre-Fall of Insomnia (Final Fantasy XV), Prompto Argentum Has ADHD, Prompto Argentum Wears Glasses, Slow Burn, Sneaking Out, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Noctis Lucis Caelum, Undercover, but it's absolutely not presented in a positive light, fatphobia, i PROMISE it'll have a happy ending, learning to love urself is a theme of this one boys, mentions of eating disorders, no deadnaming we respect noctis like kings, noct and prompto didn't become friends in school, prompto learns to love himself, set about a year before the events of the game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:40:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 36,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24574708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phomarciam/pseuds/phomarciam
Summary: Noctis is a trans man hiding his identity from the world, but after learning he's to be married off for a peace treaty, he realises his days as 'Noctis' could be numbered.Prompto is a freelance photographer by day and a charismatic coffee barista by night, but insecurity about his weight has him spiralling.The two only ever spoke once, back in middle school, but their lives collide once more when Prompto writes Noctis' name on a coffee cup.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 157
Kudos: 120





	1. Noctis I

Today there was much talk within the walls of the Citadel. King Regis was holding an audience with ambassadors of the Niflheim Empire, discussing ways in which they could form a peace treaty. Well, something like that. Interestingly enough, Noctis hadn’t been invited to the meeting. He didn’t mind, he’d rather be sat at home in his apartment playing King’s Knight. However, having heard about the upcoming meeting, the prince had quietly sauntered into the Citadel to eavesdrop. 

“Then it is settled, Your Majesty,” One of the ambassadors spoke. The sound of his voice was vaguely muffled. Noctis was hiding in the rafters - he had quite the advantage, being able to warp. He just hoped nobody would discover the dent in the wood left by his blade. “The Crown Princess of Lucis is to wed a member of House Fleuret of Tenebrae. We must still garner an audience with House Aldercapt before we can formalise the arrangement, but apart from that, I believe our business here is done.” 

Noctis felt his stomach drop. Every time his title was uttered it sent a sense of panic through his body, beginning with his chest and ending at his fingertips. 

“Princess.” 

The word hadn’t started bothering him until he was in middle school. He’d always had qualms with his status as royalty, but that was less to do with his gender and more to do with the way other people acted around him. He’d tried to live his teenage years independently, but he wasn’t quite incognito enough for it to all work out. People at school would stare him down from across the room, and nobody was brave enough to approach him. He vaguely remembered helping this one kid at middle school who tripped and fell, but they never spoke beyond that. The kid was too nervous, and Noct didn’t wanna push any boundaries. It often felt like his only friends were his bodyguard and retainer, Gladiolus and Ignis. They were like brothers to him at this point. 

They were also the only two people who knew that Noctis was called Noctis. 

He’d chosen the name back in middle school, when the moniker of “Princess” finally became too grating to bear. He didn’t want to connect anything back to his deadname, which was still blared on television, called out by teachers and written on every letter he’d ever received. Instead, he looked to his surname, and the country he served. Lucis. It meant ‘light.’ Having been an uncreative, stressed out thirteen year old, the prince had decided the simplest way to rename himself would be to find the opposite of that word. Light and dark. Day and night.

Night.

Noctis. 

He came out to Ignis first, when he moved out to his own place during his teens. He’d never experienced such freedom before, and he wanted his first shot at living alone to feel authentic. He’d sat down across from Ignis over dinner and told him straight.

“I want you to call me Noctis. At least… When we’re at home.” 

He remembered seeing confusion and surprise arise behind his retainer’s spectacles. 

“Dare I pry into the reason?” Noct remembered him asking, though he was gentle about it. He seemed to realise quickly that this was a serious topic. 

“I just think… You know what? It’s fine. Forget I said anything.” But the truth was, Noct didn’t want to leave it at that. He wanted to tell Ignis all about the feelings he’d been hiding, the two-sizes-too-small sports bras he’d been wearing underneath his school uniform, the scissors he kept threatening his scraggly black hair with. Every P.E lesson at school had him cringing in the corner of the girls’ locker room. Every public appearance as the princess had him wearing an unflattering dress that accentuated all the wrong parts of his body. The worst part was having to go through all of it alone.

It was quite possible that Ignis already had his suspicions. “If that’s what you would prefer, Prince Noctis, I’d be happy to oblige.”

Noctis was grateful for Ignis’ response. Not just grateful - relieved. Suddenly, he wasn’t so alone any more. Suddenly, Ignis was there with him.

Though the subject of Noct’s identity was rarely discussed directly, he still noticed whenever Ignis quietly affirmed his gender. Calling him the prince was a big start. Gifting him an expensive cologne for his birthday. Offering to give him a haircut, though Noctis had to sadly decline - he didn’t want anyone at the Citadel to grow suspicious of the way he presented himself. 

Gladiolus was a different story. Noctis found the idea of telling him absolutely petrifying. It wasn’t that he thought Gladio wouldn’t accept him - despite his hard exterior, he knew he had a gentle side. It was just that their friendship was so less formal. While Ignis was calm, collected and polite, Gladio was rough, rowdy and talkative. Noct knew he’d ask questions. He was fearing the long discussion he knew he’d have to sit through once he told Gladio the truth.

He decided there was no use in planning how he would come out to his sparring partner - he’d just have to wait until he was ready. 

The two teens were mid-battle when it came out. After Noct had warped to the rafters of the training hall to recover some stamina, Gladio had taunted Noct in a way that pushed him to the edge.

“You gonna come down from there? Dainty little princess.” 

Noct threw his blade and warped to Gladio with such force that he nearly knocked him down.

“What if I told you I’m not a princess?” 

The conversation ended as quickly as it had started, and the two sparred until they could sparr no more. Noctis actually won this battle, the adrenaline from saying such an outrageous phrase pushing him further than usual. 

The topic came up again after the two had hit the showers. Noctis had begrudgingly taken to the women’s changing room, and when he exited, Gladio was waiting outside. 

“You wanna tell me what that little quip was about earlier?” His voice was gruff as usual, but Noct could sense the concern behind it. 

“What quip?” Noct questioned, though it hit him quickly. “Oh. It was nothing. Heat of the moment, wasn’t sure how to respond. You wanna go to the store and buy some noodles?” Gods, Noct was an awful liar. The shaking behind his voice only amplified that.

“Nuh-uh, princess. Or rather, not-princess. What’d you mean by that? I’ve never heard anything that dumb come out of your mouth before. Spill.” It was at this point that Noct knew he was cornered. 

“I just don’t wanna be called a princess by you. Is that so difficult? I get enough of it at school.” He tried to deflect, but Gladio wasn’t having it. 

“‘S never bothered you before. Come on. Did something happen? You know, if it’s someone from school, I could always have a ‘word’ with them.”

“It’s nothing like that. Let’s just leave it, okay? It’s whatever.” 

Gladio sighed. He was clearly struggling to come up with rebuttals. “I know you think I’m some kinda hardass, and I know I’m bad at sensitive shit, but I’m not just your bodyguard, got me? We’re pals. You can talk to me. Besides, you don’t wanna keep talkin’ off four-eyes’ ears, do you? It’s good to change up who you open up to.” 

It was rare for Gladiolus to be so honest towards Noctis like this. He was trying his best, and Noct respected that greatly. It was time to let the cat out of the bag.

“I don’t really… Uh…” Oh, boy. This was much harder than it had been with Ignis. “Gladio, for the last couple’a years, I’ve started using a different name for myself. It’s not a big deal or anything, but… it just fits better. I’ve been trying to keep it on the down-low. Only Iggy knows. It’s just that, when I use it, I don’t feel like a princess. More like… You know. The opposite.”

“A prince?”

“Yeah. That.” 

Gladiolus scoffed, but quickly stifled the expression. 

“Well, whaddya know? Wish you could’ve told me earlier. You’re gonna have to beat me up extra hard next time we battle for all the times I’ve called you a princess. You got that? Give it your all.” 

Noct chuckled faintly in response. “I will.” 

“So, how’s about that name you were talking about? The one Iggy knows? Can you tell me, or is it a royal exclusive?”

“It’s Noctis. You… You don’t gotta call me that if you don’t want to.”

“Nah, don’t sweat it. Noctis. Huh. Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Mind if I shorten it to ‘Noct’?”

“Yeah, go for it. Just- just don’t go using it around my dad or the Glaive, alright?”

“You got it, your highness.” 

“Thanks, bro.” 

The way Gladiolus and Ignis had accepted Noct’s identity was more than amazing, but all of a sudden it felt like it was about to go down the drain. 

Noct was going to get married off. 

He’d always suspected something like this would happen, but he never thought it’d be so soon. He was barely a year out of high school. He’d spent all 19 years of his life coming to terms with the responsibility that came with his heritage, but he still wasn’t fully prepared for it to come hitting him in the face like this. 

By now the audience had concluded, and only King Regis, along with two or three Glaives, remained in the hall. Noct didn’t quite fancy the idea of having a run in with any of them, so after sending a quick ‘pick me up’ text to Ignis, he quietly climbed along the rafters until he reached a vent at the edge of the wall. It seemed a little un-princely to be sneaking around the Citadel like this, but Noctis had been pulling stunts like this for years, always seemingly going unnoticed. It was usually for much more mundane situations - for example, wanting to avoid one of Gladio’s training sessions - but it had become a very useful tactic for Noct. 

Crawling through the vent, he entered a hallway. It was empty, so he quickly warped to the ground below and went on his way. If anyone were to ask what he was doing at the Citadel, he had plenty of lies at his disposal. Besides - why would they care? He was royalty. If anything, he was supposed to be here. 

By the time Noctis had reached the grand stairway entrance to the Citadel, Ignis was waiting outside by his car. 

“Care to share with me what was going on in there?” He called out, as Noct swiftly skipped down the stairway. 

“Just a bunch’a old dudes talking about important political stuff. You know, the norm.” Noctis mused, shrugging as Ignis held the car door open for him. He slid into the passenger seat and pulled on his seatbelt. 

“And the subject of this ‘important political stuff’?” Ignis responded, sitting down in the driver’s seat and starting the engine. 

“Gettin’ hitched.” Noctis muttered.

“I’m sorry?” 

“They’re marrying me off. Some kinda peace treaty with the Niffs.” 

Ignis was silent for a moment. “That’s quite the surprise, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah,” Noct scoffed, “It is.” 

“Do you know with whom you are to be wed?” No matter how deep into conversation Ignis found himself, he always kept his eyes on the road. He couldn’t see the contorted emotions present on Noctis’ face. 

“Someone from House Fleuret. There’s only two people I know of that they’d pick out. Luna and her brother. My guess is that it’ll be her brother. Gotta keep it hetero, right?” 

“Ah. Ravus Nox Fleuret. I dare say, that’s quite the age gap.”

“A whole decade.” 

“I’m getting the impression you’re not too fussed about this whole ordeal.”

“Ya think?” Noctis sounded positively grumpy. He kind of wished Ignis would stop prying. He kind of wished he hadn’t told him at all. 

Ignis seemed to take the hint, because the two were silent for the rest of the drive home. As soon as they were both through the front door of the apartment, however, Noctis spoke once again, tapping Ignis on the shoulder.

“Before this, um, marriage, or whatever... I wanna try something.”

“Try what, exactly?”

Noctis hesitated, trying to piece together in his head what he wanted to convey to his retainer. “Try being me. Outside of the house.”

“Pardon my ignorance, Noct, but I’m not quite sure I follow.” Ignis made a beeline to the kitchen - it was dinner time, and he was never one to ignore the call of culinary duty. 

“I wanna try going out into Insomnia as Noctis.” Noct announced, throwing himself onto the sofa.

“I thought you wanted to keep your identity hidden from the public?” Ignis questioned.

“Exactly. That’s what I mean. I’ll be, like, undercover. Dress up like some inconspicuous dude and pretend I’m… normal. I dunno, just for a day. While I’m still somewhat out of the public eye.” 

“Ah. So ‘Noctis’, as in your alter ego. I think I understand.”

“Iggy… Will you help me?” 

Ignis, who had been in the middle of flicking through his recipe notebook, paused and looked up at the prince. “Help you in what way?”

Noctis cleared his throat. This next part was gonna feel a little awkward. “I, um, I wanna borrow some of your clothes. We’re a similar size, you and me. Most of my outfits are dead giveaways.”

Ignis went back to scanning his recipe list. The proposal clearly didn’t bother him as much as Noct suspected it might. “I’m sure I can sort something out. Let’s leave it for later on, though, shall we? It’s tea time. Now, what would you prefer, Your Highness? Croque madame or dive-style dumplings?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! This is my first time writing fanfiction in a LOOOOONG time. I really hope you like this first chapter!! I intend to post more very soon, but I was so eager to put this out there. I felt like there wasn't enough love for soft prompto out there, so I decided to turn that around. Even though he doesn't appear in this chapter, he'll be the star and centre of the next one! I want to alternate between the two boys, because both of their stories in this AU are important. 
> 
> If you like this chapter, please consider commenting! I love feedback, it really motivates me to write more.


	2. Prompto I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here we're introduced to photographer and coffee barista extraordinaire, Prompto Argentum.

“Alright, if you all wanna stand together, maybe pull a fancy pose…” Prompto Argentum requested, readying his camera. The planning committee for the Moogle Chocobo Carnival happily obliged, gathering around a logo banner for the event. 

“Say ‘Kupo’!” 

“Kupo!” 

With a snap and a flash, the nineteen year old photographer had captured this moment for all eternity. It was a harmless little gig for a local newspaper, reporting on the preparations for the upcoming festival. Prompto was delighted to be able to meet the team behind it - he loved Chocobos, and while he wasn’t quite certain of what a ‘Moogle’ was, he thought their cartoonish image was cute nonetheless. 

“Alright, that shot was perfect! Thank you guys so much, and look out for your faces in the Insomnia Times!” Prompto beamed, waving goodbye to the team after putting away his camera equipment. The festival was still a week away, so the research for the article - and the photoshoot operated by Prompto - had taken place at the storage warehouse where they’d been keeping all of the event material. 

The moment Prompto left the warehouse, he felt the hot sun against his skin. This was why he had an affinity for sleeveless shirts. Probably why he had so many freckles on his arms, too. He readjusted his hold on his camera bag as he walked over to his colleague’s car. He COULD drive himself, but it was cheaper to carpool - especially since they needed to report back to Insomnia Times HQ with the article content. 

“Get a good scoop, Rumor?” He asked, climbing into the passenger seat next to the journalist.

“Of course. Get a good pic?” The woman responded. She was young - not quite as young as Prompto, but somewhere within her early twenties. Her outfit was smart-casual, and her brown locks were tied into a messy bun. “Ugh, I barely got any sleep last night. Couldn’t be bothered to dress up for an interview about a carnival.”

Prompto frowned, adjusting his glasses as he pulled his camera back out to examine the pictures he’d taken. “You sure you should be driving?”

“It’s fine, I’ve got my Ebony.” 

“Uh-huh. If you say so.” Prompto nodded. He’d carpooled with Rumor a few times before, so he vaguely trusted her judgement. “Hey, speaking of coffee- after we’ve reported back, d’ya think you could give me a lift?”

“To your little coffee place? If you serve me a free latte, then sure.” 

“If the boss is looking away, maybe.” 

“Right.” 

Prompto turned the car radio on. It filled the car with quiet, staticky, generic pop music. Rumor didn’t seem to mind, not even when Prompto started humming along. 

“You’re chipper.” Rumor mumbled, keeping her eyes on the road as they traversed the city.

“I got to meet a chocobo! They’re crazy rare in the Crown City. Of course I’m chipper.” Prompto replied.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of animals. Plus, they kinda stunk.” 

“Well, I think they’re cute. I even got a selfie with one of them.” 

“So you’re a selfie kinda guy, huh?”

“Is there something wrong with that? I just like to document things. I’m a photographer. It’s what I do.” 

“Just don’t ‘document’ me and we’ll be good.” 

The conversation wasn’t tense - simply deadpan banter between the two. Neither Prompto nor Rumor much understood each other’s ways of thinking, but they seemed to get along nonetheless. Eventually, the two pulled into the car park for the office building Insomnia Times was based. 

* * *

Dominus Vox was a gruff middle aged man who constantly looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. He loved to order people around, especially freelance photographers - he knew they’d keep coming back for more gigs if he paid them enough each time. 

“Argentum! Let me see your photos.” He exclaimed as Prompto walked into the office, slamming his hands on the desk. It made Prompto jump. 

“I think I got some good ones today.” Prompto hesitantly approached the desk, pulling out his camera and switching to gallery mode. He didn’t want to hand his LOKTON to Dominus. He didn’t reckon the man could touch it without crushing it. Regardless of Prompto’s wishes, the man snatched the camera from his grasp. Prompto let out a small wince, but tried not to be heard. 

“Wonderful. Marvellous. Stunning. I’ll pay you 5000 yen.” Dominus barked. Prompto wanted to ask for more, but he didn’t feel confident enough. He sheepishly pushed his glasses up his nose and beckoned for Dominus to hand the camera back.

“I- I’ll take that. Thank you, Mr. Vox.” 

“You’ve done good, Argentum. Next time I’ll have you photographing the Princess!” Surely an exaggeration on Dominus’ part. Prompto could only imagine the pay he could get from a gig like that. The sporadicity of payment as a freelancer was the reason he had a second job in the first place. Speaking of which, it was nearly time for his shift. 

* * *

“Thanks, Rumor. I owe you one.” Prompto spoke hurriedly, getting out of Rumor’s car to head to the staff entrance of the cafe. 

“That’s what the free latte’s for, remember?” Rumor replied, turning off the engine and watching the man jog away before climbing out of the car herself.

The uniform procedure at Capulus Cafe wasn’t too strict - dark, non-logo clothing and a burgundy apron with the cafe’s logo over the chest. Prompto always left his apron in his locker, just for ease of access. 

Quite honestly, Prompto wasn’t a huge fan of this uniform. He was generally quite the tactful dresser, always picking out outfits that would flatter his body to the best of his ability. His style had a punk edge to it - he even wore eyeliner under his glasses now, and he’d started putting gel in his hair. It was a stark contrast to how he used to present himself as a teen, where he would dress for comfort more than anything else. The Capulus Cafe uniform felt too bare. He didn’t like the way the apron accentuated the curve of his stomach or the width of his torso, but he had no choice but to wear it. He couldn’t wear his accessories - no checkered shirt to layer up (though, admittedly, he still wasn’t a fan of sleeves), no choice of bandana to hide his neck. He felt pretty exposed. He’d been working at the cafe for about three or four months now, though, and he’d forced himself to get used to it. 

Prompto was a strong believer in the “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality. Growing up as ‘the fat kid’ in class had taught him that if people didn’t wanna like him for his looks, by Gods they were gonna like him for his personality. He’d pretty much trained himself in charisma by this point, making it a personal task to make even the grumpiest of fellows crack a smile. Sometimes Prompto wondered if he was annoying, but he sure preferred being outgoing to being shy. His loud personality was incredibly useful at both his photography and barista jobs. What was the point of his job if his customers weren’t happy? Apart from the money, of course.

Prompto walked out from the tiny staff changing room into the kitchen area of the cafe, where he saw Rumor standing at the counter. It was time to switch into Barista Mode. 

“Well, well. If it isn’t Lady Rumor! Fancy seeing you here.” He mused, immediately getting to work on the latte he’d promised her. The boss didn’t seem to be around, and his other colleagues wouldn’t notice if he prepared one extra drink. 

“You practically invited me.” Rumor sighed. “Oh- two pumps of caramel, by the way.”

“Got it.” With that, Prompto had entered the minimum-wage-retail-worker mentality. He had to work quick, and he had to be nice. Two things he was very good at. He knew the hours of the shift would just fly by, and then he’d go home, go to bed and do it all again tomorrow.

How mundane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had loads of fun writing this chapter. Prompto is fun to write!  
> Rumor and Dominus are both characters I made up for the story, cuz let's be real - we don't really meet any of the normies of Insomnia during FFXV, do we?  
> Our two boys' worlds are gonna collide in the next chapter. How exciting.  
> P.S, try and figure out who Dominus is inspired by. I dare you.


	3. Bonus art - Prompto and Rumor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help but draw Prompto and Rumor. If anyone wanted to know what the sleepy journalist looked like, here she is next to the sunshine boy!! Chapter 3 is currently in the works.


	4. Noctis II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis goes out into town, and he pops into a small, cute cafe.

“All your outfits are so… Formal.” Noctis whined, looking through Ignis’ wardrobe. A day had passed since he’d made his suggestion to Ignis, and this evening he would be putting his plan into action. He was trying to find a suitable disguise, but everything in Ignis’ inventory seemed to be button up shirts, blazers and suit pants. 

“Any respectable man should be duly presentable.” Ignis nodded. 

“I’m gonna get noticed way too fast. Don’t you have anything else?” Noctis started digging around in the dresser beside the wardrobe. Ew. Underwear. He quickly went back to the wardrobe. 

“Well, I suppose I do have some hiking gear at my disposal. I’d been keeping it in case of an impromptu road trip, but I doubt that’ll be happening any time soon.” Ignis approached his dresser and pulled open the lowest drawer. “It’s rather casual, nothing too sporty.” 

“Can I see it?” Noctis asked, more eagerly than he’d intended to. 

“What say you?” Ignis pulled some neatly folded clothing items and placed them on his bed. A thin grey jacket made from felt, and a beige puffer vest. “I’ve only worn these once, and they’re quite comfortable. Pair them with some jeans and a cap, and you’ll have a quintessential disguise.” 

“I could use my running sneakers, too.” Noctis said, picking up the puffer vest and holding it out in front of him. The stuffed nature of the jacket meant it’d take x-ray vision to figure out the shape of his torso. “I would’ve wanted to dress like this more regularly, but… I don’t know. I feel nervous buying from the men’s section. I don’t want anyone to get any ideas.” 

“I understand. Well, I can always perform your shopping trips for you, if it’s being seen you’re concerned about.”

“Thanks, Iggy. I’d appreciate that.” 

It was around 6pm when Noctis finally decided to head out. He’d spent hours pacing back and forth, wondering whether he was making the right choice. He had no idea how he’d explain himself if someone clocked him. What would he say? What if he caused bad press for the royal family? Sure, he’d been living a fairly low-profile life all these years, but that didn’t mean people didn’t know who he was. 

He stood in front of a full length mirror, giving himself one last scan before he finally left the building. The puffer vest certainly hid his shape, and even gave the illusion of slightly broader shoulders. Noctis had settled for a pair of his own jeans, which were cut for more ‘effeminate’ bodies, but still looked gender-neutral enough to help him pass. The cap he wore was an old, tattered thing he’d picked up one swelteringly hot day to keep the sun out of his eyes. He’d tied his hair, which was usually long and layered, into a bun and slipped it under the cap. His bangs still fell far in front of his eyes, but the ‘do was decidedly more masculine now. 

“I think you look rather dashing, personally.” Ignis commented, placing a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Would you like me to come with you, or are you going in alone?”

“I wanna give myself some free rein. Plus, having a glorified butler by my side might draw attention.”

“Hmph. Well, if that is what you think of me, I’ll stay behind.” Ignis crossed his arms. Noctis immediately cringed, and looked towards Ignis with pleading eyes.

“No- wait- I didn’t mean it like that! Ignis, you’re, like, my best friend. You’re not just my retainer. I-” 

“Noct, please.” Ignis interrupted with a quiet chuckle. “I jest. I understand if you want some alone time. I do look rather out of place beside you right now, anyhow.” 

Noctis breathed a long sigh of relief. “Thanks, buddy. I mean it. You’re… You’ve been so good to me. Like, I can’t thank you enough for letting me borrow your stuff like this. Thank you for just… I don’t know. Being here for me. Being by my side.”

“A position which I never intend to abandon. Let us not get too flustered, shall we? You’re losing daylight, after all.” Ignis was never one to dwell on emotional conversations. Perhaps he found these situations difficult. 

“Yeah.” Noctis paused, taking one final look at his retainer, who was offering a reassuring smile. “I’m gonna, uh, head out, then. I’ll see you later.” 

“Cheerio.” 

And with that, Noctis was out the door. 

* * *

Noctis had been out into the city of Insomnia plenty of times before, but today it felt different. It was like he was a secret agent on a mission, though he had no brief to follow apart from ‘have fun.’ One of the first things he noticed after walking into the busier parts of town was how nobody was looking at him. He was going almost entirely unnoticed. Usually there’d be one or two phones out snapping the occasional picture. Despite the way he was usually treated in public around here, Noctis didn’t see himself as a celebrity. He generally tried to stay out of the public eye, only making royal appearances at important events. Apart from that, he felt like a fairly average citizen who just happened to be the heir to the throne. 

As Noctis walked down the road, he saw a subway entrance. It occurred to him that, if he so wished, he could go right into the city centre and explore to his heart’s content. However, the idea of being around so many people made his stomach turn. Perhaps it was best to keep to his home district. There were a fair few locally-run businesses here, and he wanted to try and support them if he could. 

It was only a five minute walk to the local high street. The sun was quickly setting, so an amalgam of bright lights filled the street with colour. There were plenty of neon signs, which gave the area quite a rustic edge, considering how advanced the technology here in Insomnia was. Noctis thought it was quite beautiful. He whipped out his phone and tried his hand at photographing the scene, but his hands were shaky and he couldn’t quite figure out what part of the image to focus on. This was why he wasn’t a photographer.

Noct strode down the street, avoiding the countless pedestrians who walked past, looking for somewhere to hang out. Now that he was actually here, he wasn’t entirely sure of what to do with himself. Go to the supermarket? No, he could do that any day. Restaurant? Who in all of Eos ate at a restaurant all by themselves, wearing a puffer jacket and a baseball cap? 

Noct was starting to worry people might notice his helpless expression as he looked around, so he dipped down an alleyway. Sure, he knew it could be dangerous, but he had plenty of combat training - not to mention a sword that he could summon from thin air. As he came out through the other side of the alley, he entered a quieter street, with some residential buildings and the occasional store. The rent was probably cheaper for business owners here. There weren’t at all as many neon lights as in the high street, but there was one that caught his eye. 

Capulus Cafe. 

Noctis didn’t often go to sit down in cafes - he was more of a diner guy. He could never pass up the opportunity to eat some fresh salted fries. However, the nearest diner was back over in the high street, and he didn’t feel like going all the way back through the alley. Besides, the cafe might offer him something new to try. He’d never been a fan of Ebony, but then, there was much more to the world of coffee than canned espresso. 

Bamboo chimed softly as Noctis slipped through the door. The cafe was gently lit, with emerald green wallpaper and dark wooden flooring, scattered with old rugs. Not many of the seats around the room matched - a lot of them appeared to be vintage armchairs and sofas, of all different fabrics and colours. An old jukebox in the corner of the room played hits from before Noctis was born. It was probably the cosiest room Noctis had ever been inside. 

The cafe itself was rather empty - before entering, Noct had noticed a sign detailing opening hours. The place wasn’t due to close for a while yet, but it sure looked like it was out of hours. Despite this, Noctis noticed a couple of customers sitting at the back of the room on a sofa, quietly gossiping and sipping drinks. There was only one barista serving the counter. 

Noct approached the counter and looked through the glass pane of the display shelf. Most of the plates here were empty, but there was the occasional slice of cake to be seen. Normally, Noctis would be all over desserts, but he still felt nervous. He didn’t want anything to come back up too soon, so he decided to skip the food for now. 

As he moved towards the end of the counter to order his drink, he caught a glimpse of the barista, who offered a friendly smile.

“Hey there! Can I take your order?” A familiar voice spoke from the barista’s mouth. But familiar from where? Noct had wanted to avoid eye contact, but now he was looking directly at the guy. He was heavy set, with freckles saturating his round cheeks and blonde hair parted and styled in a very deliberate fashion. His glasses were stylish, but also seemed functional, and his azure eyes were framed by delicately-applied guyliner. 

Noct’s eyes traveled downwards to the guy’s nametag. Maybe that’d give him a clue. 

_ ‘Hi, my name is Prompto.’ _

Noct knew that name. He’d heard it at school a few times. Was he in this guy’s class?

Oh no. Oh dear.

If he’d been to school with this guy, there was a strong chance he was about to get recognised. 

It was too late to back out now.

“Uh-” Noct cleared his throat. He was gonna have to do his best manly voice if he didn’t wanna get figured out immediately. “Yes, please. I would like, uh…” 

Noct glanced up at the menu board. Think! What did he want? Not too much espresso. Espresso sucked. Something sweet and light. A latte? Yeah, sure. 

“A g- grande latte with, um… two pumps of caramel.” Noct mumbled. His impression of a manly voice wasn’t doing him many favours, especially with all the stuttering he was putting out. 

“Aha. I know someone with the exact same order! That’ll be 450 yen.” 

Noctis begrudgingly dumped the money into Prompto’s hand, now refusing to make eye contact at all costs. 

“Oh, by the way, could I get your name?”

Noctis paused. He forgot these coffee places liked to do this. He’d never asked anyone to call him Noct apart from Iggy and Gladio. This was a whole new experience. But Prompto hadn’t recognised him, had he? Why else would he ask for his name?

“Noctis.”

“Alrighty! One grande double caramel latte coming right up, Noctis.”

For Prompto to directly call him ‘Noctis’ was a nice surprise. Was this what validation felt like? Noctis felt all warm and fuzzy for a moment, but the feeling quickly dispersed.

Prompto. 

Prompto. 

He definitely knew this guy. 

As Prompto bustled to the other side of the kitchen area to prepare the latte, Noct sat down at a nearby table. He started mulling over who at school this guy had been to him.

It took a moment or two to hit him.

They’d only ever spoken once, back in middle school, but Prompto had been in many of Noct’s classes. He was the loner, the nerd, the fat kid who got ignored by most and shied away from everyone else. The first and only time they’d ever interacted had been a rather awkward encounter. Prompto slipped and fell in the courtyard, and Noctis went to help him up. He made the mistake of commenting on how heavy he was. At the time, Noct thought nothing of it. Looking back, however, seeing how ostracised Prompto was by his peers, it must’ve been devastating. He couldn’t go one minute without being either ignored or picked on. To have the Princess, the literal most important student at his school shame him for his weight?

That must’ve hurt. 

Now Noct felt awful. All he wanted to do was stand up and apologise for his rude comment all those years ago, but he couldn’t do so without blowing his cover. Besides, Prompto had seemingly changed since then. 

He held a completely different air to himself. His hair was styled, he was wearing makeup, he had a smile on his face. The sleeves on his shirt underneath his apron had been cut off. He was bantering and laughing with the two customers at the back of the store - they must’ve been regulars. It really looked like he’d found himself. Noct was happy to see the guy had gained some confidence, but that didn’t make him feel any better about the way he’d treated him. 

“One fancy-shmancy caramel latte for Noctis!” The carefree call of Prompto’s voice broke Noct’s train of thought. Boy, this guy was chatty. Noct thought it was nice, though. He’d never seen Prompto so confident in himself before.

Noct stood up to take the drink from the barista, who caught his line of sight.

“By the way, Noctis… Do I know you?” 

Shit.

Noct was busted for sure. He nonchalantly reached up and held the collar of his jacket over his chin, hoping to obscure his face.

“Uh… No, sir. I don’t think so. I’m, uh… New in town.”

Noctis really was an awful liar.

“Huh. Could’a sworn I’ve seen you somewhere. Nevermind. My eyesight’s gotta be failing me. These glasses probably don’t even work.” Prompto laughed. 

Noctis cleared his throat again. “Thank you for the drink. Um… Have a nice evening, Prompto.” He smiled weakly at the guy, but he didn’t mean to say his name. That probably only made him ten times more suspicious. Nevertheless, Prompto didn’t seem to care.

“You too!” 

With that, Noctis hurried out of the cafe. Now it was time to gulp down his latte and speedwalk back home. As he walked, however, he kept peering down at the cup of coffee. Prompto had surprisingly neat handwriting, and for Noctis to see his name spelled out physically?

It made him feel ecstatic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally met! Given, it was an awkward encounter, but it's not the last time they'll meet. 
> 
> I just wanna add, this chapter was a tiny bit difficult for me to write. Having dealt with fatphobia for a lot of my life, the situation between Noct and Prompto here feels pretty personal. I wanted to handle it delicately but frankly at the same time, and I want to cover it from both sides. 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! There's much more to come.


	5. Prompto II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis' wedding is about to be formally announced, and Prompto's been hired to take photos.

“Argentum! I have the most important job of your life right here!” Dominus Vox shouted as Prompto entered the office. “You’re absolutely, positively, one-hundred-percent not gonna believe what I have in store for you, young man.” 

It was way too early in the morning for Prompto to be experiencing Dominus’ level of enthusiasm. The bags under his eyes agreed with him, and he brought his wrist up to his face to give them a rub, after removing his glasses with the other hand. He mentally cursed himself when he moved his wrist to see a black smudge across his skin. He’d forgotten about the eyeliner he put on today. 

“What’s the job, sir?” He yawned. 

“Show a little more excitement, boy! You know what I said to you about photographing the princess? I wasn’t joking!”

“Wait- what?” Suddenly, Prompto was wide awake.

“The Citadel has announced a public appearance scheduled for this weekend. Haven’t said what it’s about, but it sounds big! I’ve already booked you VIP access, so don’t even think about saying no.”

“W-what? I…” Talk about short notice. Plus, the Crown Princess herself? Oh, boy. “What’ll the paycheck look like?” Prompto questioned, though his voice wavered. He was very much intimidated by Mr. Vox.

“Never mind that just yet- just get me the pictures! The better they are, the better I’ll pay.” 

Prompto grimaced. “You got it, Mr. Vox.” 

* * *

After the briefing, Prompto was sent home. Today seemed to be a slow news day, so he wasn’t being sent on any sudden photo calls. He had a while to relax before his evening shift at Capulus. 

It was nice to have a day off, though it meant nothing to get paid for. He could kick back and relax for once. Maybe play some videogames or mess around with his portfolio on Photoshop.

Prompto’s home was a tiny studio apartment in one of the outer districts of Insomnia - the district where Capulus was based. It took a subway ride and a half to get to Insomnia Times’ HQ, but he didn’t mind. He was a fan of people-watching, and it gave him a chance to unwind before arriving in the city centre. The apartment itself was cramped, with a sofa bed that he would pull out each night to cover the majority of the floor. Prompto lived on a budget, and while it wasn’t the most pleasant way of life, it was better than staying with his deadbeat parents. He wanted the chance to be independent, and he took it as soon as he could. 

Kicking off his shoes, Prompto flopped onto his sofa bed, which he hadn’t bothered folding away this morning. He reached for the TV remote and pressed the on button, but he didn’t bother switching to any channel in particular. He just wanted some background noise. 

After a few moments of laying on his bed, Prompto forced himself to get back up. If he fell asleep now, he could end up napping for hours and missing his shift. He trudged over to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle. Maybe a cup of tea would keep him awake. He wasn’t a huge fan of coffee, which was ironic considering his night job. 

He wondered if his shift would be as empty as it had been last night. It would either be pleasant or boring depending on which few customers showed up. Last night there were some regulars, which led to some friendly gossip to pass the time.

There was also Noctis. The name had stuck inside Prompto’s head. It was strange - he didn’t often think about one-time customers like this, but something about Noctis had caught his eye.

He seemed familiar. Not only that, but he’d denied it - and he was a terrible liar. Prompto may have been easily distracted, but he was no idiot. There was something very shifty about that man. What if he was dangerous? What if he was up to something? What if he was scouting out the area?

No, Prompto’s mind was just wandering. Too many videogames. He often got lost in wonderland; it was one of his many coping mechanisms. 

Still, the guy had a strange familiarity, and his voice-

_Click._

The kettle’s button flicked back upwards. The water had boiled. Prompto reached into a cupboard and pulled out a mug, dropping a tea bag in there along with two sweeteners. He preferred sugar, but he had a constant subconscious fear of surpassing his daily calorie limit. He poured hot water into the mug and stirred, quickly returning to his daydreams. 

What about that job Mr. Vox had assigned him? He was going to a royal event. No, he had a VIP ticket. He was going to meet them. 

It should’ve felt like a big deal, but in truth, it wasn’t really. Prompto went to the school with the princess. He’d spoken to her once. The image of her face left a sting in his mind. 

Prompto knew she hadn’t meant it in such a mean way, but the princess’ words sure had struck a nerve with him when he was just a pre-teen. He’d tripped and fallen, and while she went to help him up, she called him heavy. In hindsight, Prompto’s reaction felt stupid. It was just a word. Heavy. He’d been called much, much worse by his other peers. Still, knowing that was the princess’ one and only impression of him? It kinda… sucked. Especially since Prompto had been so close to trying to befriend her. Two loner kids, looking for friendship. That dream was squandered as quickly as it manifested. 

Instead, Prompto kept to himself for the remainder of his school years. It was a sad, lonely period of his life - and he was so glad to have put it behind him. Things were so much better now! He had friends - or at least colleagues - who respected him, he had a job that he could more than tolerate (photography was definitely up there in his list of passions), and he’d totally worked on his self confidence since moving to his own place. He was done feeling sorry for himself. 

Still, that didn’t stop the twinge of discomfort from creeping back into his mind. He was less unhappy with the way he looked and more unhappy with the way people saw him. Honestly? Prompto liked himself. He liked the way he’d taught himself to apply eyeliner. He thought it made his eyes stand out. He liked the way he’d learned to style his hair - it was way cooler than having it plastered against his forehead. He’d even started modifying his own clothes, cutting off sleeves and sewing on patches. Who cared if the lack of coverage for his arms showed off his freckles and stretch marks? Prompto certainly didn’t.

But others might. 

That was why he still wore bandannas and scarves around his neck when it was cool enough, to hide the softness of his jawline and the evidence of a double chin. That was why his shirts were still always a size too baggy, as if to blur the definition of his shape. That was why he’d forced himself to boost his confidence and become so loud and talkative - to make people ignore what he looked like, and instead experience him for who he really was.

Prompto was in a strange limbo of self-love and self-hate. He wasn’t really sure when or how it would end. 

He’d been hoping, with the end of high school, he’d never have to relive his teenage years. That hope had been lost, if only briefly. 

He wondered how his meeting with the princess would go. He would obviously try to keep things professional. He didn’t dislike her. He didn’t resent her. He was just certain _she_ disliked him. 

The tea had been steeping for long enough. Prompto removed the teabag and chucked it in the bin. As he reached to the fridge to grab some milk, his mind wandered back to Noctis.

Prompto felt like he was being haunted. It was that face. That voice. He knew he recognised him somehow. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out how, though. 

What did Noctis have to hide? Prompto knew it was something.

He guessed it’d be a mystery he’d never uncover, though, unless Noctis came back to the cafe. 

* * *

The next few days were uncomfortable, and Prompto grew increasingly anxious. His photos were coming out off-centre and blurry, and he was nowhere near as charismatic while rocking the apron. He’d stopped bothering with his eyeliner, in case he smudged it out of ignorance. As the day of the royal announcement grew closer, Prompto became more and more nervous. He should’ve been excited. He should’ve been looking for a nice outfit to wear and making sure all his camera equipment was in perfect shape for the event. Instead, he just stalled, playing videogames, watching tv and floating off into dreamland.

He couldn’t wait for it to be over. 

Before Prompto knew it, the day had arrived. Rumor was picking him up that morning, so he needed to be ready with plenty of time to spare, lest he leave something important behind. 

What was he supposed to wear to this sort of thing? Formal? Smart-casual? He hadn’t been given any instructions beyond an email detailing the time and place of the photoshoot. 

Prompto stared into his tiny wardrobe, analysing each and every item of clothing. The royal garb was traditionally black, so would it be suitable or inconsiderate to wear an all-black getup? Prompto’s head was spinning. He felt nauseous. He really wasn’t looking forward to this job. 

Despite his dislike for sleeves, Prompto picked out a burgundy button up with a tie, and some black jeans. Smart casual. It was the most in-between thing he could think of. Truth be told, the shirt and tie were what he’d worn to his job interview at Capulus. They were the closest he was gonna get to formal. He quickly pulled the shirt on and stood himself in front of the mirror.

Was he supposed to tuck the shirt into his jeans? Oh, no, he looked terrible like that. Untucking the shirt only made him look sloppy, though. Oh, this was a nightmare. The collar of his shirt made his neck look fat. It _was_ fat. _He_ was fat. 

Maybe he should’ve just bailed. Insisted to Mr. Vox that he wasn’t gonna do the job. Oh, but he would’ve been dropped, and then he’d have to find a new employer. 

It was a shame. Prompto felt so carefree and confident when he could dress how he wanted, but suddenly, under a dress code which felt so similar to his high school uniform, he felt like he was being pitted against the world once more. He just didn’t want anyone to say anything. He just didn’t want anyone to stare. 

Prompto was dragged out of his horrible spiral of thoughts when his phone began buzzing. He took a moment to breathe, and answered.

“Y’ello?” In an instant, he forced himself to sound like his usual happy-go-lucky self. 

“Hey, Prom? It’s Rumor. I’m outside. Get your chocobutt down here.” 

The pun made Prompto snort, which at least made him temporarily forget about how horribly insecure he felt. He tied his tie (shoddily, since he couldn’t quite remember how), grabbed his camera bag and left the apartment. 

“You look smart. Never seen you wear sleeves before.” Rumor chimed as Prompto climbed into the passenger seat. 

“Yeah, it’s a new one for me too.” He sighed, silently doing breathing exercises to calm his anxious heartbeat. 

“Looking forward to meeting the princess?” Rumor asked, driving off.

“Already met her. She’s pretty normal.” 

“Oh, really? When?”

“I, uh- I went to school with her. No biggie.” 

“Oh, right. She had a commoner’s upbringing.”

Prompto was twiddling his fingers, staring out through the window. 

“You okay? I’ve never seen you this panicky before.” Rumor questioned, glancing over at Prompto for a moment before turning her attention back to the road.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He paused. “Fuck. I forgot to…” Put his eyeliner on. Great, another little confidence booster that was gone for the rest of the day.

“Forgot to what?”

“It’s nothing.”

There were traffic lights ahead, and Rumor took a moment to look back over at Prompto.

“You look different.”

“It’s the sleeves, remember?”

“No, no- your eyes- wait, don’t you usually make yourself look all emo or whatever?”

Prompto’s cheeks flushed. He found his makeup habit a little embarrassing. “I just.. Think it looks cool. It’s fine, it’s not really an, uh, appropriate look for today.”

“You know you can borrow some of mine, right? Here. Do it on the way.” Rumor reached into her handbag and pulled out an eyeliner pencil, handing it over to Prompto before the lights turned green. 

“It’s fine, really-”

“I don’t mind. Go ahead. Consider it compensation for the latte.”

“But then I’ll owe you another one.”

“It’s on the house, Prom.” 

Prompto wasn’t sure why Rumor was being so nice to him. He wasn’t complaining, though. She may have been grumpy at times, but she was definitely welcome company. 

* * *

When the two arrived at the Citadel, a crowd was already gathering. There were seats laid out and members of the Kingsglaive were standing guard at the entrance to the area. Rumor pulled up to one of the Glaives, rolled open her window and stuck her reporter’s ID out to show him.

“News team from Insomnia Times. We’ve been invited as VIPs to interview and photograph the Lucis Caelums.” 

The Glaive simply nodded and directed Rumor to the nearby carpark. 

“Let’s do this thing.” Prompto hyped as he climbed out of the car. He couldn’t let his nerves show any more, not now that they were here. 

It took a while for the two to get through the crowds of people preparing for King Regis’ announcement. They had two reserved seats at the front of the conference area. It was a relief to finally get to sit down in them.

“Looks like we’re right on time.” Prompto mumbled, as the crowd went quiet and the king himself entered the stage, followed by the princess. 

The king was dressed in a black suit with a cape, and he held a walking stick. There was a brace on his right leg. Many people had observed his worsening condition for a while now; apparently it was a side effect of bearing the burden of the barrier around Insomnia. 

The princess was dressed in a black gown that matched Regis’ suit. It was form-fitting but modest. The princess herself looked wildly uncomfortable. Her hair, as usual, went seemingly unstyled - it was layered and messy. She seemed to be wearing the minimal amount of makeup possible - with allowances so her blemishes wouldn’t show up in photos. It was evident from a mile away how much she didn’t want to be here. She was accompanied by her retainer; a tall, slim man in a black suit, with glasses and light brown hair, and her bodyguard; an even taller man, impressively buff, with a brown mullet and scars scattered across his face. 

The king approached the mic.

“Good people of Insomnia, I have called this briefing today to make an announcement about my daughter, the Crown Princess of Lucis.”

The princess visibly cringed when she was mentioned. Her retainer appeared to squeeze her hand, and her bodyguard furrowed his brow. 

“Following negotiations with the Empire of Niflheim, the Crown Princess of Lucis is to wed a member of House Fleuret of Tenebrae. This is a joyous occasion, and also one that will make history. With this marriage, we hope to end our endless battle with the Niflheim Empire and form an agreement of peace.” 

There were gasps from the crowd. Reporters standing at the front began shoving their mics in front of themselves, hoping to ask questions. Rumor stayed sitting, knowing she’d have her chance to talk to the royals later. 

The king spent the rest of the announcement giving the princess and the city his blessing. There wasn’t much more to it; the speech seemed to end almost as quick as it began. Though he made sure to stick to his script, there was evidently emotion behind his voice. This was clearly a big deal for him as much as anyone else.

“Holy shit, I did not expect this.” Prompto exclaimed to Rumor, once the King had retreated back inside the Citadel. 

“I know. This is incredible. The war could finally be ending.” Rumor was just as shocked, it seemed. Prompto had never heard so much emotion in her voice. 

A Glaive approached the two. 

“You the reporters from Insomnia Times? Follow me, your appointment’s in ten minutes. We’re holding it inside the Citadel.” 

“Huh. That was quick.” Prompto said.

“Your boss paid a lot of money.” The Glaive responded.

“Figures.”

Prompto had never been inside the Citadel before. It was so big, so extravagant, so _royal_. He felt way out of his league. He knew the Glaives were there to keep the place safe, but it felt like every one of them was staring into his soul. It wasn’t exactly doing wonders for his self esteem. 

Prompto and Rumor were led to some seats outside a meeting room, an elevator and a corridor away from the entrance. There were other reporters waiting their turn here - of course other papers wanted their own scoop. After a few minutes of waiting, they were let inside. 

The princess was sat on a sofa, stiff as a broomstick. Her retainer and bodyguard stood to one side of the room, quietly talking amongst themselves, though they stopped when their guests entered.

“Go easy on ‘em, okay? Your highness here’s been goin’ through a wave of emotions today.” The bodyguard spoke to Rumor. 

“Don’t tell them that!” The princess exclaimed. 

Rumor sat down opposite from the princess and pulled out her notebook.

“My name’s Rumor, I’m a reporter for Insomnia Times, and this big guy here’s my photographer. It's an honour to be in your company, Your Highness.”

“Uh… Hey.” Prompto choked out. Suddenly his anxiety had come flooding back. As he entered the princess’ gaze, he noticed her eyes widen. She seemed almost as petrified as he was. Prompto hadn’t seen her face up close in years - not since their unfortunate encounter in middle school. 

“Prompto?!” The princess gasped, almost immediately. Prompto was taken aback - how could she have possibly remembered his name after so long? He cleared his throat and pulled his camera from his bag.

“Yes, um… Hi. That’s me. Long time no see, huh?” Prompto’s cheerful facade was failing him.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” The bodyguard spoke once again. He seemed agitated, and Prompto did not wanna get on his bad side. 

“Right. Okay, your highness, first question…”

Rumor began her interview with the princess, and it was now Prompto’s job to capture the image of the two’s discussion from as many angles as possible. He needed to make sure he had a wide range of photos to bring back to Mr. Vox if he was gonna get a good paycheck. 

Looking at the princess up close was giving Prompto a strange sense of deja vu. 

It wasn’t just because of their time at school. It was something else. 

That voice, that face, her stiff expression of discomfort. It was all so _familiar._

He’d seen her so recently. No, spoken to her, too.

It took days to realise, but Prompto had finally pinpointed the truth behind the mysterious customer at Capulus.

He couldn’t believe how obvious it had been. But what if he was wrong? What if this was just another attempt by his brain to construct a crazy story from a bunch of seemingly unconnected events? 

The interview lasted about twenty minutes, and by the time it was over, the princess, plus her bodyguard and retainer were all sufficiently agitated. 

“Thank you for your time, Your Highness. I’ll make sure you’re represented in a truthful and positive light by Insomnia Times.” Rumor thanked the princess, preparing to leave.

“W-wait- Um… Your Highness, if it’s okay with you- could I have a word before I leave? It’s, um… about the photos- I wanna know which ones you prefer…” 

The princess looked panicked once again, but she gulped and nodded. “Uh- yeah. Sure. Gladio, Iggy- could you, uh, leave us two be for a second?”

The retainer sighed. “If you wish.” 

Now it was only Prompto and the princess left in the room. 

Prompto was sweating buckets, but the princess seemed to be in the same boat. 

“Your Highness… I’m sorry, i really am, but… I lied. This isn’t about the photos- unless you, um, wanna look at them anyway.” Prompto had never stammered so hard in his life.

“That’d be cool, but… What is it? If this is about all those years ago, then- um… I need to talk to you too.”

Prompto was surprised she remembered the incident, but then, he was surprised she even remembered his name.

“No, no- it’s not about that.” But now that it had been mentioned, he DID have an urge to address it.

Whatever, it wasn’t important. Prompto had gotten this far. He only had one shot to find out the truth.

“Then, what’s this about? I’m all ears.” The princess ran her hands through her hair, struggling somewhat to maintain eye contact.

“Forgive me for asking- I mean- it might not even make any sense to you, and if it doesn’t, I’m so sorry, but-” 

Gods, he had to stop rambling. Now. 

“Does the name ‘Noctis’ ring a bell?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE BIG REVEAL!!
> 
> Phew, this chapter was l o n g. I wrote it all in one sitting, though! I was crazy immersed. I don't think I've ever been so excited to write a fanfic before now. Looks like Noctis has some explaining to do, huh? 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading so far! I really appreciate kudos and comments, too! New chapters are in the works.


	6. Bonus Art - First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you thought this was a new chapter! I've been writing, like, non-stop for the past two days so I decided to take a little break and draw instead. Here's the boys meeting at Capulus Cafe. Noct is a terrible liar.


	7. Noctis III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the cat's out of the bag.

Today just could not get any worse. 

It began when Ignis solemnly arrived at Noctis’ apartment with a black gown slung over his arm. Noctis knew he was going to have to dress up for the ceremony, but it didn’t make it any easier for him to put on the wretched thing. It was objectively quite a nice dress; a knee-length bodycon dress with elaborately laced sleeves. The chest was fully covered, thank god. Ignis could do nothing but give Noctis a sympathetic frown.

“Right. How about we get this ceremony over with?” Ignis spoke, trying to sound somewhat positive.

“Even once the announcement’s over, I’ll still have, like, two hours of interviews from the press. This is gonna be a long day.” Noctis whined. 

The announcement itself was actually rather short and sweet. Noctis’ dad spoke eloquently and didn’t dwell too much on the topic, and the speech only lasted about ten minutes in total. Every time Noctis’ title was mentioned, he felt a lump in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it. Ignis and Gladiolus were there beside him, offering silent emotional support. As long as they were there, Noctis knew he was gonna be okay. 

Noctis re-entered the Citadel as soon as he was allowed to leave the stage. He rarely wore heels, so his fast pace nearly caused him to trip once or twice. As soon as he was inside, a Glaive approached him. 

“Your Highness, we’ve invited several reporters to talk with you about the occasion, if you’ll give them your permission.”

“I already have.” Noctis rolled his eyes. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” 

He could only hope the reporters wouldn’t ask anything too intrusive. 

Noctis, Ignis and Gladio were taken to a meeting room on one of the upper floors of the building. It wasn’t like a conference room - there were no long tables or endless rows of seats. There were simply three black leather sofas angled around a coffee table. It was more of a formal discussion room. 

Noctis sat down on one of the sofas, and the moment the Glaive was gone, he completely dropped his dainty ‘princess’ demeanor. He stretched out and stuck his feet on the coffee table, not bothering to take off his shoes first. Ignis let out the tiniest of gasps.

“What, Iggy?”

“The mahogany…” 

Noctis rolled his eyes once again. He was gonna have one hell of a headache once all of this was over. 

“Gladio, if any of the journalists try any shit, beat ‘em up, will you?” Noctis grumbled. He was only half joking. 

“You wanna take a chill pill first? I don’t want you to get any bad press. Don’t muck it up, alright?” 

“Whatever you say.”

Noctis was in a very obvious bad mood. He was going to have to clean up his act before the interviews began. He looked up at Gladio and Ignis, who were standing to the side of the room.

“I just want this to be over.” He sighed. “You’ll hurry them up if they take too long, right?”

“Of course.” Ignis nodded. 

After a few minutes of deep breaths, the Glaive from before poked his head back around the door. Noctis immediately sat up straight and dragged his legs off the table. 

“Your Highness, are you ready to begin your interviews?”

“Sure. Whatever.” Noctis couldn’t sound less disinterested if he tried. Ignis and Gladio began muttering amongst themselves. 

The Glaive disappeared and the door reopened a moment later. Two people walked inside the room. Noctis was facing the opposite direction, hoping he wouldn’t have to make too much eye contact with his guests.

A woman with warm brown skin, with her hair in a messy bun strode in front of Noctis and sat down on one of the sofas. She was followed by her photographer, though Noctis was too distracted by the woman to take notice of him. All he noticed was that he was a large man wearing an attempt at a semi-formal outfit, with a camera bag slung over his shoulder.

“Go easy on ‘em, okay? Your highness here’s been goin’ through a wave of emotions today.” Gladio spoke to the two. Noctis looked daggers at the bodyguard.

“Don’t tell them that!” He hissed. 

“My name’s Rumor, I’m a reporter for Insomnia Times, and this big guy here’s my photographer. It's an honour to be in your company, Your Highness.” The woman said, and gestured to the photographer. 

“Uh… Hey.” The man spoke.

Uh oh. 

Noct knew this voice. 

He turned his attention from Rumor to the photographer, and he couldn’t help but let his expression contort into one of disbelief.

“Prompto?!” 

This had to be some kind of sick prank. Why the hell was Prompto here? Only a few days after bumping into him, too! It must’ve been premeditated. It was too much of a coincidence. Noctis felt dizzy. He felt hot and cold at the same time, and his stomach felt like it was gonna eject its contents any minute now. 

Prompto managed an uneasy smile. “Yes, um… Hi. That’s me. Long time no see, huh?”

He had to know. There was no way in hell Noctis’ disguise was that good. Prompto was here with a journalist from Insomnia Times, and they were going to expose his little secret to the world. What was this? Twisted revenge for the rude remark Noct made all those years ago? 

Gladio seemed to notice the anxiety pouring out of Noctis, because he quickly butted into the conversation. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Rumor nodded, glancing at her notepad. “Right. Okay, your highness, first question…”

The interview was surprisingly tame, only focussing on the topic of the upcoming wedding, where it would take place, when, and with whom. There were no mentions whatsoever of Noctis’ little trip to the coffee shop. Why not, though? What were these guys planning? Noctis wanted to stand up and tell them both to get out. At the same time, if he caused a scene, he’d create bad press and his problems would multiply into the hundreds. No. he had to keep this civil.

Noctis couldn’t help but glance over at Prompto every so often during the interview. He was snapping photographs near-constantly, from every part of the room. Noctis felt like he was under surveillance, and it only made him feel more nauseous. 

Gladiolus and Ignis could clearly tell Noctis was having a bad time, because they were looking for any opportunity to interject and end the interview early. Noctis gave them a glance that meant ‘just let it run its course’, and they seemed to get the basic idea. 

“Alright, that’s all the questions I’ve got.” Rumor sighed, signalling the end of the interview. “Thank you for your time, Your Highness. I’ll make sure you’re represented in a truthful and positive light by Insomnia Times.”

Noctis only nodded in response. He was tired of having to use his voice already. 

Then Prompto spoke.

“W-wait- Um… Your Highness, if it’s okay with you- could I have a word before I leave? It’s, um… about the photos- I wanna know which ones you prefer…”

Noctis wanted so desperately to say no. He knew he was about to get outed. He knew this must’ve been one big sinister ploy to ruin his reputation. There was no other explanation, was there? 

Still, Noctis needed closure, and he didn’t want to cause a scene. He gulped, and nodded his head feebly. “Uh- yeah. Sure. Gladio, Iggy- could you, uh, leave us two be for a second?” 

Ignis signed, tapping Gladio on the shoulder to catch his attention. “If you wish.”

The two left the room, and now only Noctis and Prompto were left. 

Prompto was bright red, and he looked like he was shaking. He looked awfully nervous - maybe even as nervous as Noctis was. “Your Highness… I’m sorry, I really am, but… I lied. This isn’t about the photos- unless you, um, wanna look at them anyway.”

Noctis decided he was going to have to be forward with the conversation, however scary it might’ve felt. Besides, if he took control of the situation, maybe he could convince Prompto not to spill the beans about his identity. All he needed to do was apologise about the middle school incident before Prompto could call him out for it. If he tried to be kind, if he tried to be civil, maybe he could avoid a major publication mishap. 

“That’d be cool, but… What is it? If this is about all those years ago, then- um… I need to talk to you too.”

Nice. Now Noctis sounded like he was the one to bring it up, instead of Prompto. He wasn’t usually anywhere this good at manipulating the conversation. Noct wanted to give himself a pat on the back for being so sly. 

“No, no- it’s not about that.”

Or not.

What?

What on earth was this for, then? Why else could Prompto possibly want a word with him? What other motivation could he have for trying to expose his identity as Noctis?

Noctis stared at the floor. He couldn’t bring himself to look Prompto in the eye. He ran a hand through his hair, and tried to respond as diplomatically as he could muster.

“Then, what’s this about? I’m all ears.” His voice shook as he spoke. 

“Forgive me for asking- I mean- it might not even make any sense to you, and if it doesn’t, I’m so sorry, but-” Prompto began to ramble. Wow, he really did sound anxious. Noct was starting to feel bad for him. He was just like he’d been back in middle school.

“Does the name ‘Noctis’ ring a bell?”

And there it was. 

Noctis had anticipated the question, but that didn’t stop him from flinching. He took a dead, straggled breath and looked Prompto in the eye.

“Who have you told?”

Prompto actually looked surprised. Why was that?

“What? Nobody, dude.” He reassured. He sheepishly gestured to the sofa opposite Noctis. “Can I…”

“Yeah. Go on, I’ll, uh, stall the other interviews.” Noctis mumbled, pulling out his phone. He sent Gladiolus and Ignis a quick text asking them to find a way to cancel the other interviews. Ignis responded with a seemingly panicked ‘what’s going on?’, but Noctis assured him everything was fine. This was between him and Prompto. 

“I guess I just… Wanted to know if you were okay. I mean- who goes out undercover at night if everything’s fine, right?” Prompto began. He sounded surprisingly empathetic. Noctis had not expected at all that this was coming from a place of worry.

“Maybe I just wanted to go out incognito. Avoid the paps.” Noctis deflected, but something about Prompto’s nervous demeanour told him he was being genuine. Besides, Noctis didn’t want to chase him away again - he still needed to apologise to him at some point. “You can’t speak a word of this to the press, got it? This is between you and me.” 

“Roger that.” Prompto let out a nervous chuckle. 

“Noctis is… well. Noctis is me.”

“I think I got that part.” 

“Okay, yeah- well- I mean…  _ He _ is me. I’m…”

Noctis could see the cogs whirring in Prompto’s head as he tried to figure out what the hell he was on about. 

“I’m not a princess. Or- like- I don’t see myself as a princess. When I’m Noctis, I’m-”

“A prince.” Prompto interrupted. “I think…. I think I get it. Like- I’ve read about this kind of stuff before. Online. You’re a guy pretending to be a gal. Or, you know, a prince pretending to be a princess, and you can’t tell anyone the truth because you’re tying the knot. Unless I’m… wrong?” 

Noctis coughed. He’d never heard it be put in such a blunt way before. “No, you’re right. Yeah. You could say that, I guess.” 

Something about Prompto’s light-hearted responses made Noctis feel relaxed. There was no malice to be sensed. Prompto wanted to put Noctis at ease.

“Prompto… Did you figure it out right off the bat?” Noctis probed. “When I entered the cafe, I mean.” 

“Oh, no- The disguise worked fine. It only clicked, like, five minutes ago. You… You looked really good, dude.” 

“I looked like a hobo.” Noctis joked. 

There was a fleeting moment where he considered bringing up the middle school incident. Now that the two seemed to be on relatively okay terms, he wanted to  _ finally _ apologise.

“Oh!” Prompto shouted, very suddenly. “I forgot- do you wanna see the pictures I took of you? I took, like, a lot. Maybe you could pick out your favourite to go in the paper.” 

“Uh- yeah. Sure! Go head.” Noctis responded, and without hesitation, Prompto sped over to Noctis’ side and turned his camera into gallery mode. 

The two spent about ten minutes flicking through images, and though Prompto’s phone buzzed in his pocket every once in a while, he was too immersed in talking about lighting, composition, focus and angle to notice. Noctis found his enthusiasm rather endearing. Eventually Noctis picked out a few photographs of himself - he’d never thought of himself as particularly photogenic, but Prompto… Prompto made him look good. 

After scrolling through image after image of Noctis’ candid face, the next image to show up was completely unrelated. It was a selfie taken by Prompto, who was beaming into the camera with a chocobo squawking behind him. The look of genuine joy on Prompto’s face was adorable.

“Dude! Where’d you find a chocobo in Insomnia?” Noctis asked, a grin emerging on his face. Suddenly, all his princely manners were out of the window. Hell, Prompto was treating him like any regular person now, and it felt amazing.

“The Moogle Chocobo Carnival! It’s opening in a few days and I got to meet some of the prep team. So. Many. Birds! It was amazing. I can’t wait for it to open.”

“I literally had no idea there was a carnival coming to town. I have to check it out.” 

“Dude, totally! Hey-”

Prompto’s phone buzzed again. He pulled it from his pocket and checked. “Oh, shit, Rumor wants to head out. Noctis, I’m so sorry about this, but I gotta go.”

“No, man. It’s fine. I… Thank you for asking if I was okay.”

“It’s no big deal. Least I could do for the guy who helped me up when I tripped.” 

Noctis felt a pang of sadness. So that was how he was spinning it, huh? No mention of the insult whatsoever. 

“By the way, dude-” Prompto continued. “If you ever want a safe space to, like, talk or whatever- I’m usually the last one on shift at Capulus during the evening. If you wanna pop in and say hi again, you’re totally welcome. As the princess or as Noctis.” Prompto stood up, preparing to leave the room.

The feeling of sadness morphed into a feeling of comfort.

“Thank you, Prompto. I think I’ll take you up on that one. As Noctis." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading so far! Now the awkwardness has faded, things can only get gayer.
> 
> Kudos and comments mean the world to me!


	8. Bonus Art - 'Wanna see the photos?'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another doodle! I swear I'll end up illustrating the whole fic at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was wondering, dear readers, if you could give me some advice!
> 
> 1: What kinds of things would you like to see happen in this AU? I would love some suggestions!! There isn't much content for chubby Prompto or trans Noctis out there, so I'll happily do it all myself ;-; 
> 
> 2: Are there any specific scenes from the fic you wanna see illustrated? I really like doing these little doodles, so if there's any part that stood out to you, let me know!! 
> 
> Thank you ever so much for reading my fic so far, and thank you for all the kudos and comments!! It means the world <3


	9. Prompto III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto's hoping to see Noctis at Capulus Cafe once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: One use of the Q word, though not in a derogatory manner 
> 
> Some of the content in this chapter was inspired by Gaynoctgar's suggestions! Thank you so much for your input!

“What took you so long? I texted you, like, forty times.” Rumor complained as Prompto arrived back at the car. She was already sitting in the driver’s seat, listening to radio coverage of the Citadel’s announcement.

“I’m sorry, Rue, I got caught up. I told you I went to school with hi- her, right?” It was suddenly very obvious to Prompto that talking about Noctis to other people would be difficult now. He’d made a promise not to out him, which unfortunately meant he was going to have to use the incorrect pronouns. He mentally cursed himself for all the misgendering he was going to have to commit. 

“Yeah, but I got the sense that you weren’t any more than acquaintances.” 

“We, um- we have some history together. Wanted to catch up.” Prompto shrugged. He didn’t really want to delve into his past.

“‘History’, huh?” Rumor smirked, starting up the engine. “You know, considering how all the other interviews got cancelled… Damn, Prompto. On the announcement of her engagement, too?” It was uncertain whether Rumor was joking around or not. She still had the smirk on her face. 

“What?!” Prompto practically jumped out of his skin. “Rumor! What the heck? It’s nothing like that. We just had some classes together, that’s all.” 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Wow, Prom, you’re beet red. Besides, you’re… _you know_ , right?” Rumor continued to tease. 

Prompto tilted his head in confusion. “I’m… what?”

“There’s a rainbow emote in your Warker bio.”

“Oh. That. Actually, I’m bi. I like chicks too. And everyone else. Gender’s complicated. But that’s besides the point! I have _nothing_ to do with the Princess. Nada.” If Prompto’s face could get any redder, it would have

“If you say so.” Rumor probably rolled her eyes, but Prompto wasn’t looking. He’d pulled out his camera and was flicking through the photos he’d taken once again.

After a few moments of silence, Rumor opened her mouth again. “By the way, since we’re talking about it, I’m not straight either. Nice to know there’s someone else like me at this shitty job.” 

“Oh, really?” Prompto glanced over. The statement was so sudden, and he wasn’t quite sure how to respond to it. Nobody had ever really come out to Prompto before - if you didn’t count Noctis moments earlier. Prompto was usually the one doing the coming out. “Um… Congrats, dude…! Did I say that right? Shit, I have, like, no clue what I’m supposed to say in situations like this.” 

Rumor giggled. “I don’t really know how I expected you to respond, to be honest. I just wanted to tell someone who might understand, you know?” 

“Mm, I get that. The closet gave me claustrophobia, though, so I gave up staying inside it a while back. Hence the Warker bio.”

“Fair enough.” 

The two shared idle conversation for the rest of the car trip, though they’d both go quiet whenever the radio started talking about the royal engagement. Prompto found the whole thing so surreal. Noctis was barely out of high school, and he was already getting married. Meanwhile, Prompto hadn’t had a single partner yet. Was that something he was supposed to feel insecure about? It was less of a case of looking for the right person, and more of a case of nobody else thinking _he_ was the right person. Prompto was well versed with being the last resort by now.

When the two arrived at the Insomnia HQ office, they were immediately hounded by Dominus. For once, he wasn’t angry. In fact, he was filled with joy.

“You two!” As always, the sharp volume of his voice made Prompto flinch. Rumor, on the other hand, seemed used to it. “Give me everything you have! This is going to make us a fortune!” He started rambling, loudly and aimlessly, about the engagement. Prompto looked suitably bewildered, so Rumor leaned over to fill him in.

“While you were having your ‘alone time’ with the Princess-”

“We just talked.” Prompto uttered.

“-I called Mr. Vox and told him about the cancelled interviews.” 

“So that means-”

“We’ve got ourselves an _exclusive_ interview with the Crown Princess of Lucis, my boy!” Dominus boomed. “We’re gonna have to print twice the regular amount- no, thrice! I’ll tell ya, I feel like being nice. I’ll give you both a 5% bonus, how about it?” 

5% wasn’t the most incredible bonus in the world, especially when it came to freelance work - though it was easy to say at this point that Dominus Vox had Prompto wrapped around his finger. However, it was still something. Maybe Prompto would buy himself a cute little something. 

Prompto switched his camera to gallery mode and pulled up the pictures Noctis had said were his favourites. Dominus examined each of them for about five seconds each before giving his verdict.

“‘S that all the makeup she was wearing? You’d think she’d’ve made herself up a little flashier, wouldn’t you?” Dominus grouched.

“She’s never really been a makeup kinda gal.” Prompto responded, with a nervous edge to his voice. 

“Eh. Whatever, It’s authentic. I’ll give you 10000 yen for the set.”

Prompto was about to accept the offer, but Rumor suddenly interjected.

“With all due respect, Mr. Vox, this is an exclusive issue, and Mr. Argentum here was the only photographer to get up close and personal with the Princess. These photographs of his are insanely unique, wouldn’t you agree? How about adding another 5000 on top, hm?” 

Prompto and Dominus were both equally taken aback. Prompto honestly would have accepted 10000 gratefully, but now that Rumor had tossed her coin, he was internally begging for Dominus to say yes.

With a twisted, exasperated expression, Dominus sighed. “Very well. Argentum, your paycheck for this job’ll be 15000 yen, plus a 5% bonus.”

“So... “ Prompto counted on his fingers, looking awfully childish for a moment. “15750?”

“Yeah. That. Whatever. Go hand the pictures over to the editors.”

750 yen extra wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to buy a couple of drinks. Better to put it into his savings, though, Prompto thought.

* * *

  
  


Once Prompto was back home for the day, it was as if everything had gone back to normality. He pulled off his shirt and tie and threw them into the hamper. Wait - were you even supposed to wash your ties? Prompto simply shrugged at the thought - there wasn’t any harm in giving it a clean, either way. He did his best not to glance towards the mirror as he reached for a tank top from his wardrobe. 

Once he was dressed in something more comfortable, Prompto decided to switch on the news. He had an hour or two before work to chill out, and he was curious as to how much of the media would be saturated by the royal engagement. 

IBC News was probably the most popular and seemingly most reputable source on television. Footage was replayed of King Regis’s speech, frequently cutting towards shots of Noctis, who always looked incredibly uncomfortable, and his devotees. Prompto had caught their names briefly - Gladio and Iggy. They seemed to care about the Prince a lot. This wasn’t the first time Prompto had seen them - they’d occasionally be waiting for Noctis outside of school. Prompto always thought the two looked incredibly intimidating. He definitely didn’t wanna get on their bad side. 

Prompto picked up his phone and prepared to text Noctis - just to check if he was holding up well, of course. All the other interviews had been cancelled, and he was worried something might’ve happened. It was only once he reached his contacts list that Prompto realised he never asked for his number. He was angry at himself briefly, before reminding himself that there was absolutely no way he would’ve been brave enough to ask anyway. The only way he’d be getting in contact with the Prince again was if he was being truthful about returning to Capulus Cafe. 

When Prompto started his shift at Capulus that evening, he was distracted. He struggled to hold a decent conversation, even with the regulars. He kept watching the door, hoping to see that familiar face pass through. He didn’t know why he was so hung up about Noctis. He was worried, sure, but Noctis was the Prince. He was bound to have a support system. He had Gladio and Iggy, didn’t he?

Did they even know?

It dawned on Prompto how precious this knowledge was. He was potentially one of the only people in the entirety of Eos who knew Noctis’s truth, and he had to honour that role suitably. Suddenly, he wasn’t ‘Prompto, barista at a backstreet coffee shop’ any more, he was ‘Argentum The Brave, Keeper of Royal Secrets’. 

He shook his head as if to force the idea from his mind. His fantasies were getting to him again. No wonder he was the prime bully target at school, right? 

The night drew onwards. The sky faded to black, the neon lights outside filling the street with their usual glow - though it was probably way brighter a block over, in the high street. That was something Prompto did like about Capulus - it was out of the way. It had a slow but steady stream of customers, and dedicated regulars. It was never too overwhelming there, but it was rarely boring either. 

By the time he only had an hour left on shift, Prompto had stopped being so restless. If Noctis was going to turn up, he would have done so much earlier. It was rather late now, and the last group of customers looked like they were about to clear their table. Prompto wondered if it was even worth staying open until closing time - as usual, he was the last person on shift, and his boss had trusted him with locking up duty. 

Prompto was genuinely considering closing early, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of chiming bamboo. He thought the last group of customers were leaving, but he glanced over and saw them still sitting at their table - though one of them was moving their rubbish onto the tray to take to the bin. No, someone had entered the cafe. 

“Hey there, Prompto.” Noctis greeted, with a smile. He was wearing the exact same outfit as he had worn the last time he came here. Though passing wasn’t in any way a measure of validity, Prompto couldn’t deny he passed very well. 

“Oh! Hello, your hi- Noctis.” That was definitely a habit Prompto was gonna need to drop. “I didn’t expect to see you here so… soon. Didn’t you have a busy day?”

“Perfect opportunity for me to wind down then, isn’t it?” Noctis replied. 

“What’ll it be? Grande latte with two pumps of caramel?” Prompto asked, already putting beans into the coffee grinder.

“How did you remember my order?” Noctis quirked an eyebrow.

Whoopsie-daisy. The last thing Prompto wanted to do was sound like a stalker.

“Oh- I told you I have a friend who orders the same thing, right?” Smooth. 

“Right, I remember.” 

Noctis went and sat on a nearby armchair, but he still looked kind of uptight. Prompto didn’t want to comment on it, but he didn’t need to regardless. The last group of customers finally got up and left the cafe, all quietly thanking Prompto for the drinks as they left. Noctis’ posture relaxed as soon as the door shut.

“There’s nobody else in here, right?”

“Nah. I was actually thinking of shutting early. You got lucky, dude.” 

“Thank Gods. I was gonna come earlier, but Ignis was hounding me... Ignis is my retainer. He was at the announcement.” 

“Glasses guy?”

“Yep, that’s Four-Eyes.” Noctis joked, but stuttered as he remembered the man he was talking to right now also wore glasses. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just a… running joke between me and him.” 

“It’s cool, not the first time I’ve heard that one. I was actually thinking of getting contacts, though.”

“I hate the idea of sticking something right in my eye like that.” 

“That’s kinda why I haven’t bothered just yet. Besides, I don’t think taking off my glasses is gonna make me look like less of a geek.” 

“You look more like a punk than a geek.”

That was nice to hear - maybe the ripped sleeves and eyeliner actually counted for something other than Prompto’s own self esteem. He had a look now. An aesthetic. An undeniable subcultural vibe. 

“And you look like you need to add more stuff to your wardrobe other than hiking gear.” Prompto was finishing up Noctis’s latte, so he came around the counter and placed it down on the table nearest the Prince. He headed back behind the counter and started cleaning the dishes - the uttermost boring part of his job. 

“It’s all I have, plus the puffer vest kind of makes me look more like a formless blob. Nobody can tell what’s going on under here. It’s nice.” 

Prompto was well aware of the ‘formless blob’ feeling some clothes could achieve, though it felt more negative to him than positive. The idea of hiding his shape sounded nice, but in actuality all it did was make him look even bigger. It was better to be honest about his size - give or take an X on the label - and let people judge him for what he truly looked like. 

“Still, it’d be nice to have more than one outfit.” Prompto reasoned.

“If I can find the money. Or the courage to actually go buy it.” 

“I could lend you some.” Prompto blurted out. “Money, I mean. Not clothes. I don’t think mine would really fit you unless you wanna keep that whole ‘formless blob’ thing going.” 

“You don’t gotta do that. What kinda Prince borrows money from a retail worker?” Noctis deflected, taking a sip from his latte and immediately recoiling. “Fuck, that’s hot.” 

“Those pictures I took today earned me a pretty penny. And think of it this way - they’re pictures of _you_ , dude. Like, you technically own the rights to them as much as I do.” That wasn’t strictly true, but Prompto was feeling weirdly… generous? Usually he didn’t have much money to spare for anything - maybe a new videogame or an upgrade for his LOKTON. 

“Really, Prom, you don’t have to do this. Plus we, like, barely know eachother. I’d feel too bad about it.”

“Sorry, dude. Just… wanted to help.” Prompto sighed. “Okay, let me start again.”

“Bet.”

“You’ve just gotten engaged, right? What if I said I wanted to… um… Get you an engagement gift?” Prompto was pushing his luck, and he knew it. It wasn’t often that he was so insistent on helping people out, but he felt a strange kinship towards Noctis. Hell, if Prompto was trans himself, he probably would’ve jumped at the opportunity for someone to buy him some new gear. 

“You’re just not gonna give up, are you?” 

“Momma didn’t raise a quitter.” She didn’t raise much of anything, actually.

“Okay, sure. But, um… How am I gonna pick the clothes out? I don’t wanna go out. Someone might recognise me.”

“Online shopping, dude! If you’re really that nervous, I could have it delivered to my place.” Prompto was a big fan of online shopping himself - he, like Noctis, disliked physically going clothes shopping, though it was evidently for a different reason. 

“I mean… If you’re willing to do that, that’d actually be fantastic.” Noctis managed a closed smile. "In that case, there’s something else I wanna buy on top. I’ll pay for it, don’t worry about that- but I really don’t want it to come to my own address. Could I maybe lump it in with the rest?” 

“Wanna tell me what it is?” Prompto pried.

“Uh… I’ll let you know about it once it arrives, okay?” 

“Better not be something illegal. My landlord would kill me.” 

“Oh, no, nothing like that. Dude, I’m the Prince. What do you take me for?” Noctis rebutted.

“Kidding. If you don’t want me to know what it is, I won’t ask. I just wanna help you out.” Prompto promised.

Noctis was sipping his coffee, which was now cool enough to drink without burning himself. 

“By the way, Prompto, can I ask a question?”

“Hit me.”

“Why are you helping me?” 

Why _was_ Prompto helping him? Before today, Prompto only knew Noctis for two reasons, and neither of them were particularly positive. Why, now, had he suddenly decided to become his saving grace?

Perhaps it was that feeling of kinship; two loners against the world. Two LGBT boys trying to find themselves in life. The body issues, the queerness, the difficult teenage years - they seemed to go hand in hand in hand. 

“I don’t know. I just… wanted to.” How articulate.

“I appreciate it. Like, really. Iggy and Gladio care - I know they do - but at the same time, they’re so… distant. It’s like they don’t know where to begin, so they’d rather say nothing. ‘S been like this for years. It’s… It’s real nice having someone to open up to.” 

Prompto was done doing the dishes. He dried his hands and went to sit opposite Noctis. 

“Glad I could lend an ear.” 

Noctis looked like he was mulling something over, trying to figure out how to say something. Prompto didn’t seem to realise until he’d already opened his own mouth.

“By the way, Noct- can I call you Noct? I forgot to ask for your number. Unless you don’t wanna share it. I’d understand. Sorry, that was forward…” Prompto rubbed the back of his neck. “Just so we can, like, keep in contact.” 

Noctis blinked and came out of his trance. “Oh, yeah, sure. Here.” He pulled out his smartphone and handed it over, on the contacts page. “Just type it in there.” 

Prompto had never asked for anyone’s number before. Rumor had given him hers, but only from the point of view of two colleagues needing to stay in touch. This was a totally platonic thing, but something about it, at the same time, felt so… intimate. 

Prompto typed in his number and added his name at the top. Fearing Noctis would somehow forget who he was, he added ‘photo geek’ in parenthesis. He handed the phone back, and Noctis immediately called Prompto’s phone, to add himself to his ‘recents’ list.

“You should have my number now.” Noctis confirmed. Prompto selected the most recent number and saved it as a contact. “Nice to meet you, ‘photo geek.’” 

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Prince.” 

The two shared a childish giggle. 

It occurred to Prompto that he hadn’t hung out with someone like this in, well, ever. Sure, he had colleagues and regulars who he chatted to on the daily, but nobody had ever bothered to sit down beside him and just… talk. Not idle chatter, either - a real, honest-to-god heart-to-heart. 

Noctis sighed. “Listen, man. I better go. Ignis is gonna kill me if I come back too late. He’s worried enough about me as it is.” He stood up, picking up his empty coffee cup and taking it to the counter. 

“Yeah, that’s fair. It’s nearly closing time anyhow.” 

“Thanks for inviting me here, Prom.” Noctis smiled. He approached the door, but stopped in his tracks. “How are we gonna do this whole… online shopping thing?”

“I mean, do you have a tablet or a laptop? We could meet up somewhere with wifi and place the order that way.”

Noctis shrugged. “I’m still a little nervous about hanging out in public.”

Prompto thought for a second. “You could come to mine? O-or I could come to your place, or…” 

“Could I maybe come to yours? Iggy’s at my apartment constantly, so it’d feel a little weird doing it with him around.” 

“Yeah, sure.” Prompto nodded. He had some tidying up to do. “Just a warning, it’s kinda small. Like, tiny. For mice.” 

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” 

“Believe me, I barely fit in there.” Prompto joked. Self-depreciation was one of his specialities. “So… when do you wanna do this?”

“Whenever you’re free…? I don’t mind.” Noctis shrugged once more.

“We could do it tomorrow if you really wanted. I usually get called in for one or two photo ops in the middle of the day, but once I’m done with that, I’m free until my shift here starts. Busy as a bee, I know.” Prompto explained.

“That sounds good.”

“I’ll text you the directions later, alright?” 

“Yeah. Thanks, Prompto. You’re a real one.” Noctis smiled. “Catch you later, alright?”

“Take it sleazy, man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading so far! Once again, if you have any ideas for future scenarios or scenes you'd like to see illustrated, please feel free to let me know! I'm making a list and I want to eventually get to everything.


	10. Bonus Art - Prompto's Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This took me a CRAZY amount of time to draw. 6 hours!!
> 
> Anyway, I wanted to visualise Prompto's apartment. I DID take a little bit of artistic liberty - no, they don't live in Wall Market, Midgar. I just thought it'd look cute!! 
> 
> See if you can spot all the FF references!


	11. Noctis IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis heads to Prompto's apartment for a little online shopping spree.
> 
> Trigger warning: brief mention of eating disorders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took so long to put out! It's a pretty big one, so I wanted to make sure it was just right.

Noctis slept in the next day. After a full night of tossing and turning, thinking about how much of his life he seemed to lack control over, he was reasonably tired. It was at least midday by the time he actually got up. 

Dressed in a simple t-shirt and underwear, Noctis sleepily left his bedroom and entered the living space. The apartment was quiet. Ignis didn’t seem to be here, interestingly enough. Noctis was glad. Often, his retainer’s presence felt rather oppressive. He quite enjoyed his alone time, so he wanted to cherish this moment. 

Noctis decided it would be best not to turn the radio or TV on today. He knew he’d likely be the centre of attention within the media at the moment, and he didn’t want to hear his deadname spoken a thousand times by people he’d never met before. Instead, Noct simply shuffled a playlist on his phone and left it on the kitchen counter while he prepared his ‘breakfast’ - two slices of toast with some butter slathered on, and a glass of milk. Childish and bland to some, but a simply-made masterpiece to Noct. As he threw the bread into the toaster, he began humming along to his music. Occasionally, a word would find itself mumbled from his lips. Noct liked singing. He wouldn’t tell anyone about it, but it was a nice little secret hobby. 

Midway through the song that was playing from his phone’s speaker, the music was interrupted by a notification. Noctis’s first reaction was to roll his eyes. It was probably Gladio asking him to come in for training today. Uh, no thanks. 

The music resumed, and Noctis continued to quietly sing along. 

Another notification. 

Maybe it’d be good to just tell Gladiolus ‘no’ today. 

Noct picked up his phone, preparing to see a grating text from his bodyguard about keeping his muscles in check, but was surprised by something completely else. They were both from ‘Prompto (Photo Geek)’. 

The first text read: ‘Hey buddy! Do u still wanna come over today? Sorry if I came off as too forward. If ur still interested lmk!!’

The second was Prompto’s address. 

It took a few moments to register in Noctis’s groggy, sleepy mind what any of this meant. He’d made plans?

Oh, right. Yeah. He had. 

Usually, Noct’s memory didn’t fail him this much. However, with so much on his mind, various things were slipping from his grasp. He was grateful Prompto had decided to text him a reminder, or he absolutely would have forgotten. 

Noctis texted back; ‘sry dude i just woke up. i can come over asap if ur still ok w/ it?’ 

Was that too informal?

He stood there for a few brief moments, as if awaiting an immediate response. The toaster popped, making him jump. He had no reason to be so on edge, and yet he continued to be. Noctis put his phone back down and went back to preparing his gourmet meal. 

No response. 

The toast had been buttered and the milk had been poured. Noctis took his feast to the sofa and sat down. 

Between bites of toast, Noctis would go back and stare at his texts. Had he said something wrong? It had been a few minutes now since his response. Was he just overthinking this? 

It took about a quarter of an hour to finally get a response. 

‘Sorry I was in the shower!! Yeah feel free to head over whenever, I’m free until like 4pm and you can come to work with me if you wanna as well.’

Sweet release. 

Noctis took a breath and started typing his reply. ‘ok dude ill be there in like’

He closed the messaging app and opened the map. It said it would take him sixteen minutes to walk to Prompto’s apartment. 

‘half an hour.’ He finished typing, and sent his reply. 

Noctis jumped into action. He whipped off his pyjamas and climbed into the shower. He always liked to wash himself as quickly as humanly possible - the less time he had to spend naked, the better. It was all well and good wearing baggy clothes, but even Noct couldn’t hide from the shapes beneath the fabric. The most obvious part to him, when forced to face his own naked body, was his chest. 

He’d gotten used to not thinking about it. Besides, even some cis guys didn’t have flat chests - though most of them were overweight. Noctis was skinny - painfully so - and the dissonance between his flat stomach and protruding chest felt all too obvious. He’d wondered about gaining some weight - whether it be fat or muscle - to try and even it out, but the solution seemed relatively off the table. He was already trying his hardest to build muscle, and the idea of putting on fat made him… uncomfortable. Nothing to do with the idea of being bigger per-se, but knowing the distribution wouldn’t be kind to his hips… It didn’t appeal to him. Not when he was trying so hard to present himself as what society viewed as ‘masculine’. 

He spent his entire shower session pondering over this. He did it a lot - whenever his mind so much as wandered to the idea of his body shape, in fact. There were a lot of unspoken thoughts floating around in the Prince’s mind. Nobody knew about them but himself. 

Next, it was time to get dressed. Noctis still only had one or two shirts to choose from, and he was ever so grateful that the reason Prompto was meeting with him today was to get him some more. Maybe he could finally cut down on the amount of laundry detergent he was using. 

After pulling his mildly-too-tight sports bra on, he slid into the rest of his outfit - not dissimilar to the same thing he’d worn every other time he’d gone to Prompto’s cafe. It was time to head out. 

* * *

  
  


Noctis was a fast walker, so he was glad to notice he arrived at Prompto’s address right on time. The walk had been relatively pleasant - at this time of day, the streets weren’t crowded, but there was still a reasonable bustle. Nobody took notice of Noctis as he carved down endless suburban streets. He wore his headphones this time, as well. Stepping in time with his music felt satisfying to Noct, as if his feet were slamming the drums themselves. It took his mind off the anxiety of simply being outside in front of strangers. 

The address had led Noctis to a small apartment block. There seemed to be about ten residences in total, five on the ground floor and five on the first. Prompto’s apartment was on the first floor. Noctis hesitated before ringing the doorbell. Was he absolutely one-hundred-percent sure this was the right address? It seemed so… small. So normal. But then, Prompto was normal, wasn’t he? A pleb, as nobility might describe him. Noctis hadn’t been friends with anyone of such a low class before. He slapped himself on the cheek for thinking about Prompto in such a crude manner. Of course not everyone could afford to live the way Noctis and his retainers did - he was the Prince, after all. 

After triple-checking the text he’d received from Prompto, he rang the doorbell. Noctis’ stomach once again felt as though it was ready to eject its contents. He clenched his fists, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

Noctis heard the door open, and his eyes opened with it.

“Noct! Hey there, buddy!” A familiar, friendly face greeted him. Prompto was wearing an outfit akin to his seemingly-usual dress code; a muscle tank - slightly more form-fitting than his usual shirt size, Noct noted - with a few choice rips in the fabric (Noctis wasn’t sure whether they were made on purpose or not, however). The definition the muscle tank gave to Prompto’s arms was almost captivating. Under the fat, Noctis could tell there was a decent amount of muscle. Prompto also wore skinny jeans with even more rips than the shirt, though these rips definitely looked intentional. His hair appeared to be perfectly groomed, just as it had been the last few times Noctis had met with him. He wasn’t wearing shoes, only black socks with a little cactuar pattern on them. 

Noctis struggled to make eye contact - this was the closest he’d ever been to Prompto before, and something about seeing him in such a casual setting made Noctis feel his cheeks flush, so he stared at the little cactuars on Prompto’s socks instead. “Hi, Prompto.” He greeted, with noticeably less enthusiasm than Prompto. 

“Come in, dude! I spent, like, all day trying to tidy up. I’m pretty proud of myself, actually. I think the place looks pretty good.” Prompto rambled. By now Noctis was getting used to his tangents; Prompto’s mind seemed to wander incredibly easily, but listening to him talk about the things that interested him was quite a nice experience for Noctis. 

The apartment really was tiny. The walls were a dirty beige colour, and the floorboards were a dark brown - so dark that they appeared almost black. There was a small desk in the corner with a laptop. Beside the desk was a blue sofa, and next to that was a small end table. On the other side of the desk was a wardrobe, with a plush chocobo perched neatly on top. Across from the sofa, there was a television perched on a coffee table, with a video game console wired up neatly beside it. There were various wall decorations; fairy lights were the only things keeping the room lit apart from a small lamp on the end table, and there were video game posters dotted across the walls. Above the desk was a corkboard with an abundance of photographs pinned on. 

On the other side of the room was the kitchen area, with all the basic components of a kitchen intact - though it was incredibly compact and crowded. Ignis would loathe it. At the end of the kitchen was a single door, presumably leading to the bathroom. Prompto really hadn’t been joking about how small this place was. That being said, it was comfortable. The warm lighting, the cozy cushions on the sofa, the vague scent of cologne and air freshener. Noctis liked it. 

“You want a cup of something? I have tea or coffee or… I think there’s some cocoa, as well, actually.” Prompto offered, striding towards the kitchen and flicking the kettle on. 

“No thanks, I’m good.” Noctis declined. He slipped off his sneakers and gently sat himself down on the sofa, letting his attention follow Prompto. 

“Alright, no worries. I’m just gonna make myself a drink and then we can get started.” Prompto smiled. 

“By the way, Prom… Thank you for this. I appreciate it.” Noctis’ voice was quiet when he spoke. He was much more anxious than he should have been. Why did he feel like he was doing something wrong? He wasn’t, was he? He was just hanging out with his new friend and buying some new clothes. No big deal.

“Huh? Oh, dude, please. It’s nothing! Just wanna help out a friend in need, you know?”

Though Noctis already thought of Prompto as a friend now, hearing Prompto speak it into existence took him by surprise. It was nice to know he felt the same about him.

Noctis watched Prompto as he prepared his drink. The kettle had finished boiling, so he filled up a mug with hot water. As he reached up to take a tea bag from the cupboard, Noctis’ eyes drifted downwards. 

The muscle shirt. As Prompto stretched, it had ridden upwards, revealing a hint of the man’s midriff. Noctis knew it was rude to stare, but for a few brief seconds, he felt compelled to take in as much information as he could. Prompto’s stomach was round and hung over his belt, and his pale skin was scattered with red lines. Noctis was fairly sure they were stretch marks. For the longest time, Noctis had been taught that these traits were supposed to be considered ugly, or bad, or wrong. For just as long, Noctis had fallen prey to those cruel misconceptions. It was why he did what he did to Prompto all those years ago.

Now, however, Noctis didn’t find himself feeling the same way about Prompto. In fact, for some incomprehensible reason, seeing Prompto’s exposed skin made his cheeks flush again. He couldn’t tell what kind of emotion this was. 

His view of Prompto’s stomach was obscured when two pudgy hands hastily pulled the shirt back down. Noctis turned his attention back upwards to Prompto, who had gone about as red in the face as he’d been back at the interview. 

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to stare- I- I wasn’t trying to, I just-” Noctis stuttered, barely comprehensible. 

“No, no- It’s fine.” Prompto blurted out, turning around and dumping a tea bag into the mug of water. “This shirt’s too small. I should’ve chucked it out months ago.” 

Noctis went quiet. He’d gone and fucked up again.

“...Seriously, man, it’s fine. You don’t have to look so embarrassed.” Prompto continued, setting himself down next to Noctis with his freshly made cup of tea. Despite his attempt at reassurance, Noctis could see how red Prompto’s face still was. The feeling of embarrassment appeared to be mutual. 

Even then, Prompto was trying to laugh it off. He grabbed his laptop from the nearby desk. “So, shall we get shopping?” His attitude had totally recovered. It was like the last ten seconds never even happened. The best Noctis could do was play along.

“Yeah, dude. How are we gonna do this?”

“Well, I was thinking I could show you a couple of sites you might like, and then you can go ahead and buy that other thing you were talking about.”

“Other thing?” Noctis’ memory was failing him again.

“You said you had a secret thing you needed to buy, right? You can go ahead and do that now, if you want.”

“O-oh, right. Yeah.”

The truth was, Noctis intended to purchase his very first binder. He knew they existed. He’d even scoured websites before, looking for the perfect one. He’d just never been brave enough to bite the bullet and purchase one before. What if Iggy opened the package? He didn’t want to have to explain anything - though knowing Ignis, he might not ask for much of an explanation anyway. 

Prompto pulled up an online fashion store. The front page showed a range of models, all candid and seemingly having a good time while modelling their outfits. They were all very diverse, too; so many skin tones and body types - and more importantly to Noct, many of the outfits appeared to be unisex. Most physical stores only sold clothes up to a certain size, and they were always incredibly gendered. It was the exact reason why he’d shied away from entering one. 

“This is where I get a lot of my stuff. Their sizes are pretty inclusive and they have a lot of different styles. I thought it’d be a nice place for you to… I dunno. Find something you like?” Prompto offered the laptop to Noctis, who gingerly placed it on his thighs. 

“It looks great.” The Prince nodded, scrolling through the home page to look at all the different links. Then he paused. “Um…” He was looking directly at the ‘men’ and ‘women’ buttons on the site. He wanted so badly to choose ‘men’, but he feared the clothes wouldn’t fit him. “Which gender do I pick?”

Prompto looked dumbfounded for a moment. “Uh, men, obviously!” It didn’t seem to totally occur to him what Noctis’ concern was. Noctis was almost relieved by this; Prompto really must have seen him as a man. 

“What if I get the wrong size?”

“We can always send them back. Their returns policy is a lifesaver. They save your preferences and shit, so once I ordered some new jeans but I must’ve gone up a size cuz I, like, couldn’t get them on. I sent them back and a week later I had a new pair that fit perfect! No extra charge. It was great.” Prompto rambled. Noctis was noticing more and more just how much this boy liked to talk. It was good; Noctis was much too nervous to hold a balanced conversation right now. He’d much rather just listen to Prompto’s enthusiastic remarks for the rest of the day. 

Noctis scrolled through the mens’ shirts section. There were so many different styles to choose from; t-shirts, tanks, button ups, sweaters… He decided to keep it simple, and filtered it down to just t-shirts. Eventually he came across one he quite liked; it was grey, with a black skull pattern across the collarbone. Black clothes were always somewhat of a comfort for Noct; though it was the royal colour, it was also incredibly inconspicuous. He felt so much less seen by those around him when he wore dark colours, and he’d do anything to feel like he wasn’t being constantly watched. He tentatively clicked on the shirt. 

“The shirt sizes…” He mumbled, staring at the array of letters. Where were the numbers? He was so used to choosing a size 4 in whatever he’d picked up, but this was a very different scenario. He could easily guess that the letters meant ‘small’, ‘medium’, ‘large’, et cetera, but it was all so vague. 

“Oh- I forgot. They’re different for… Whatever. I’d say you’re a size small.” Prompto commented, looking Noctis up and down. “I think so, at least.” 

“What size are you?” Noctis asked, without even bothering to think. He immediately regretted it. He just had to keep slipping up, didn’t he? He sharply turned his attention back to the laptop, scrolling down to read the technical details of the shirt. Anything to make it look like he hadn’t just asked such a stupid question.

“3XL.” He responded, relatively nonchalantly. He didn’t seem to mind the question, but Noctis didn’t feel any better about asking. “Like I said, this shirt’s too small. I think it’s a 2XL.” 

Despite Prompto’s relaxed response, Noctis felt compelled to apologise anyway. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ask that. It was rude.”

“What? Why would it be rude?” Prompto seemed genuinely confused.

“It just… I don’t know. It just felt that way.” 

“It’s just a descriptor, dude. It’d be kinda dumb if I got upset over a word like ‘large’, right?” 

“Prompto.” Maybe it was finally time to bring up what he’d been waiting to say this whole time.

“Are you okay, Noct?” Hah. Always turning it around, that Prompto. It never mattered how much Noctis fucked up, Prompto always seemed to put others before himself. The forgiveness of his man was going to be the death of Noctis. He just knew it. 

“I need to talk to you about something.” Noctis shifted away from Prompto slightly and placed the laptop on the floor. Prompto quirked an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Are you, um, nervous about the clo-”

“It’s about you, Prompto!” Noctis snapped, though he hadn’t intended to. He tilted his head downwards and waved his hands around erratically. It was something he did when he felt a lot of emotion - in this case, frustration. Growing up as the Prince, many of the people who had raised Noctis had tried to train these behaviours out of him, but it never worked. Sitting in a commoner’s apartment like this made it easier to express himself. 

Prompto was quiet. He looked worried. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to snap. I didn’t…” Noctis was becoming a ball of emotion, gently rocking himself in his seat. He had tried his best to be stoic, but suddenly this tiny apartment room was closing in on him. Prompto’s icy gaze pierced through Noctis, and yet somehow, it felt warm. 

“Noctis. It’s fine. Please, dude, chill. It’s fine.” Prompto’s voice was gentle and quiet and soothing. Noctis had honestly expected him to get angry. “It’s okay. You’re just having a hard time with words, yeah?” 

How did he nail it so quickly? How had nobody else responded to Noctis’ sociability struggles like this before, with compassion? All it seemed to do was make Noctis feel more pent up inside. The rocking became more obvious. 

“Deep breaths, dude. Take your time.” Prompto’s patience was incredible. Noctis was sure anyone else would’ve kicked him out for being such a nuisance by now.

Noctis did as he was told, breathing deeply and slowly. It was okay. He was safe here. Prompto wasn’t mad at him. Nobody was mad at him. Nobody but himself. 

“Here- you can have my tea, if you want.” Prompto waveringly offered his mug of tea to Noctis, who took it into his shaky hands and sipped. The warmth of the drink spread through his chest as he swallowed, comforting him like a hug. “I’m sorry, I already drank a little of it, but… I can go make you a new one, actually. That was a dumb suggestion.”

Disregarding Prompto's hesitation, Noctis had already half finished the drink.

“Thank you, Prompto.” He choked out. There was a lump in his throat, though the warm tea was quickly alleviating the discomfort. 

“It’s no problemo, dude. I just wanna help.” Prompto paused for a few seconds, making sure he wouldn’t overwhelm Noctis with new information. “What’s bothering you? You know you can talk to me, right?” 

Noctis took a few more deep breaths, and set down his now empty mug on the floor. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with Prompto, so he instead stared at the floor. 

“Prompto…” He began. Why was it so hard for him to apologise? What kind of asshole did that make him? Why was ‘sorry’ such a difficult word to say?

Prompto watched Noctis intently, though with no less concern than before.

Noctis clenched his fists. “I need to apologise to you.”

There.

He said it, but…

It wasn’t enough.

He took another deep breath. Prompto seemed to know there was more than just one sentence, because he remained silent.

“Back in middle school, I was a dick to you. I didn’t mean to be, but that doesn’t mean it probably didn’t affect you any less than it did. Nobody should’ve bullied you, but they did, and I was complicit in that. And even then- I feel like it must’ve been extra bad coming from me, because I’m royalty. It was a total abuse of my privilege to say what I said to you. I should’ve known it was gonna hurt you.” 

Noctis forced himself to look up at Prompto, whose expression had changed. He looked a little shocked. He opened his mouth to speak, but waited his turn. Noctis nodded in approval.

“Noctis, I- I had no idea you were beating yourself up over this. Like, seriously, dude…” There was a pinch in his voice, and now he was the one looking away. “It- it’s fine, man.” He stuttered.

“It’s not fine.” Noctis insisted. “I really wanna address this. Honestly, I don’t think I can be friends with you if I don’t.” 

Prompto looked positively sad now. “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t want you feeling like you’re taking up space, or whatever. I.. I don’t know how to describe it without- I don’t know- I don’t wanna say the wrong thing! I just don’t want you to feel like I’m looking at you the wrong way any more.” Noctis raised his voice once again, but he was yelling at himself more than he was at Prompto.

“Noctis.” Prompto spoke. Though it was obvious that he was emotional, his voice was strong. “Thank you for the apology.”

“Huh?”

“I accept your apology, dude. It’s cool.” Prompto smiled, though a tear seemed to escape from the corner of his eye, sending a smudge of eyeliner down his cheek. 

“That’s… it?” Noctis was confused.

“Middle school was a long time ago, Noct. And, yeah- I could’ve probably done without getting called fat a thousand times, but… That’s what I am, right? In fact, I’ve actually gained weight since then. The fact that you want to apologise to me _now,_ while I still look like this - It means you’ve changed, right?” Prompto’s tears continued to fall as he spoke. “I appreciate that.” 

“Prom…” Noctis felt like he was going to cry now, too. “I just don’t know what I would do if I found out you’d _done_ something because of me, you know? I don’t wanna be responsible for that. I don’t want _you_ to get hurt for something that’s my fault.”

“What, you mean, like… Try to lose it?” Prompto let out an uncomfortable laugh. “I tried. It… Didn’t work. I just kind of ended up getting sick.” 

“That’s what I mean!” Noctis blurted out.

“But I’m okay now! That’s what I wanted to say. I’m okay, Noctis. I’m looking after myself. I got over those feelings a long time ago. I figured it’d be a lot easier to just… accept who I am and stop worrying. Sure, it got easier once I finished school, but… I’m happy. If anyone’s a dick to me about my weight, I guess that’s on them. Not me.” 

“Yeah.” Noctis coughed. “And… You know what? If anyone says any shit, I’ll use my princely powers to exile them to Niflheim.” He tried to joke, but it only turned into another sob.

Noctis was crying. Prompto was crying. This absolutely hadn’t been the intention of today’s meeting, but that was what it was now. 

“Noct…” Prompto mumbled, gently resting a hand on Noctis’ shoulder. “I’m glad we discussed this. Like, really. I didn’t realise how much it was weighing on my mind until now. Thanks for lifting that for me.”

“Really?” Noctis sniffed.

“You’re a good guy, Noct. Nicest prince I ever met.”

“I’m the only prince you’ve ever met.” Noct giggled, though now he was wondering if that was even true.

“Only prince I want to meet.” Prompto was quickly forcing himself back into his happy-go-lucky mood, dabbing under his eye to try and clear away the tears without smudging the rest of his eyeliner. He stood up, picking up the empty mug from the floor.

“How about I make us both another cup of tea, huh?” He offered. “Then we can get back to clothes shopping.”

“Yes, please.” Noctis smiled. “I’d really like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY WAS THIS CHAPTER EMOTIONAL TO WRITE!  
> Thank you to everyone who's supported this fic so far. It really has been a blessing seeing how many people have been positively affected by this AU.


	12. Prompto IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis has apologised to Prompto, and now it's time to get back to shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: EXPLICIT MENTIONS/DESCRIPTIONS OF EATING DISORDERS FROM BEGINNING.

Prompto was feeling emotional, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Though he was still trying to blink away the last of his tears, he felt happy. 

Noctis had finally addressed the elephant in the room - the one Prompto had quite honestly been intent on ignoring. He couldn’t feel more relieved, however. Truth be told, he hadn’t expected it. He thought Noctis had forgotten entirely about their middle school mixup. Why would he remember? 

It wasn’t like it was a big deal or anything. It wasn’t like Prompto spent a good month after that encounter limiting his meals until he lost his appetite, forcing himself to run to near exhaustion and hiding himself away from the world. His self esteem was intact. He was in perfect health. Nothing Noctis did had affected Prompto in any substantial way, had it? No. It was everything before that day; classmates jeering and calling him names, always picking him last for P.E teams, even giving him the odd push or shove if they so felt like it. Noctis’ comment was just the last straw. That’s all. 

When Prompto’s body couldn’t take it anymore, he finally stopped torturing himself. At least he had enough common sense not to get himself killed. He had dropped some weight, but he quickly gained it back once he started eating regularly again. Then, he fell back into old habits, and he couldn’t _stop_ eating. It became a vicious cycle, one that he grew out of after a few years, after forcing himself to speak to a doctor. He eventually decided treating himself like shit, physically and mentally, wasn’t going to do him any good. Now, here he was, nineteen years of age, only bigger than he’d been before - but he was content. He wasn’t trapped in a botched school system that didn’t care about bullying any more. He was an adult now, and he could lead his own life. 

One thing Prompto was sure of, right now, was that Noctis’ apology was sincere. The man had gone out of his way to bring it up and take the blame. No matter how stressed out he seemed to be, he still spoke up and he still said sorry. The bravery that went into admitting he was in the wrong… Prompto had to respect it. Nobody else had ever apologised to him like this before. Nobody else had cared this much about how their actions hurt him. Hell, what Noctis had done wasn’t even malicious. It was just a word that slipped out of his mouth. Prompto knew Noctis was a good guy; that was why Noctis had been so hellbent on making sure Prompto knew he regretted his actions. 

The reason Prompto had cried was because of how grateful he was, how thankful he was that the unwitting cause of so much of his pain had repented. It felt like a new chapter in his life could finally begin; though the scars of the past would never heal, he could finally put them to rest in his mind. His teenage days were truly over now, and it couldn’t have been done without Noctis’s apology. 

Filling up the kettle and flicking the on-switch, Prompto couldn’t help but glance over at Noctis - who was now scrolling through the online store again - and smile. It felt so good to finally lift the tension. He felt so much more at ease. He didn’t even worry about his shirt riding up as he reached into the cupboard for more teabags - he knew now that Noctis meant no harm if he saw what was underneath. That didn’t mean to say Prompto wasn’t insecure about his belly - he very much was. Prompto was well aware that his struggle to love himself was a long, tough process, but now it felt like he was finally getting somewhere. 

After masterfully crafting two mugs of tea to the same - if not better - quality as he would during his job as a barista, Prompto plopped himself down beside Noctis, who had three items in his basket now. 

“How goes the shopping, my guy?” Prompto chirped, placing Noctis’ mug on the floor and taking a gentle sip from his own. 

“You said you’re paying for this, right? I really don’t feel good about that. Like- I honestly don’t mind paying for it myself.” Noctis sighed, glancing over at Prompto. 

“How many times do I gotta tell you this, Noct? It’s on me!” Prompto replied cheerfully. “It’s my duty as the Royal Drink-Pourer to make sure the Crown Prince of Lucis is looking his snazziest.” Though sitting, he offered a gracious bow to Noctis, who snorted with laughter.

“You dork! What do drinks even have to do with clothes?” 

“Gotta look the part, right?” 

The mood had completely lifted now, and the two boys made themselves comfortable on the sofa, scrolling page after page of t-shirts, jeans and all kinds of accessories. Noctis ended up with six items in his basket; four shirts, a pair of trousers and a jacket. Prompto insisted on paying for next-day delivery - he really wanted Noctis to receive his present as soon as possible.

“You really like that goth aesthetic, huh?” Prompto commented. He could relate - he’d noticed himself become much more confident after finding a fashion sense he felt comfortable in. 

“I just think black is a neat colour.” Noctis nodded. 

“Ah. So, like, your name. Noctis. It means ‘dark’ or something, doesn’t it?”

Noctis’s cheeks appeared to flush red. “It means ‘night’, actually. I, um… Chose it. When I was thirteen.” 

“Aww!” Prompto crooned. “Okay, but in all seriousness - I think it’s an awesome name. It fits you really well.” 

“Thank you. Yours... fits you... too.” Noctis replied, seemingly not thinking before he spoke. Prompto understood that; there were a lot of things that Noctis did that Prompto recognised. Having practically raised himself, Prompto spent a lot of time on the internet researching things. It was how he knew about the idea of being transgender; there’d been a time where he wasn’t quite sure about his own identity, and he’d spent hours trying to figure out what it meant. Eventually, he settled on the idea that he was, in fact, cis, but comfortable with letting his femininity show from time to time. 

The same went for other things, namely how he searched for reasons as to why he could never quite concentrate on tasks he was given; only tasks he was already invested in. His habit of switching from topic to topic without thinking, baffling those he spoke to. He felt nervous putting a name to it without a diagnosis, but he held comfort in knowing there was an explanation for why he did things the way he did. He assumed Noctis was similar; his social awkwardness, his lack of eye contact, the way he soothed himself with hand movements and rocking; it all sounded very familiar, and Prompto was extremely willing to be patient with Noctis for that reason. 

“Haha, thanks.” Prompto responded, very simply. “You ready to check out?” 

Noctis glanced up and down at his shopping list, and the mouse hovered over the ‘buy now’ button. “This is really happening.”

“Yeah, bro! Hype!” Prompto cheered. 

“Alright, let’s do this, then.” 

_Click._

A message appeared on the screen. ‘Your order has been placed.’ 

Noctis’s hands flapped again, but this time he was grinning. He was excited. The thrill was infectious; Prompto clapped happily for Noct. “Well done, bro! Now you’ll _really_ look like a handsome prince.” He teased.

“Am I not already one?” Noctis replied, voice full of snark. It was obviously a joke, but something about it tied Prompto’s tongue. If he said yes, would that be considered flirting? It’d be rude to say no. Bros could call each other handsome without meaning it in a gay way, right? 

Gods, Prompto’s inner voice of reason was so childish. It was a _joke_. 

Then again, Prompto couldn’t lie. Noctis really _was_ handsome. It wasn’t something he’d always really thought about, but being this close to him, Prompto couldn’t deny that objectively, Noctis was an attractive man. His smooth jawline, his captivating blue eyes, his little lopsided smirk that he wore when he was in a good mood. That was it. His good looks were pretty much undeniable, so why would it be weird for Prompto to simply confirm it? 

A garbled, incomprehensible stutter was Prompto’s only response. 

“Hm?” 

“W-well- This is absolutely just from the point of view of an innocent bystander, here- Nothing personal about it at all- but I’d say you look pretty fly.” Prompto faltered. “For a prince.” He added. Phew. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Noctis playfully jabbed Prompto in the arm. 

“It means… Um…” This was nothing to be so worked up about. It wasn’t the first time anyone had asked Prompto to comment on their appearance, so why was he struggling now? “It means whoever you end up marrying is gonna be one lucky partner.” 

There. That was _one_ way to back out of the conversation.

“...Right.”

That was the wrong thing to say. Of course the marriage was gonna be a tetchy subject. 

“I- I’m sorry, Noct. That was out of line.” Prompto sighed. 

“No, no. I mean, it was a compliment, wasn’t it? No point pretending the wedding isn’t going ahead, anyway.” 

“Yeah…” Prompto scratched at the back of his neck, feeling guilty. He had to rescue the mood, and fast. “Hey, Noct, wasn’t there one more thing you wanted to buy?” 

“Oh!” Noctis brightened up. “Yeah, I forgot!” He opened a new tab on the laptop and prepared to type, but he hesitated. “Uh… It’s kind of personal.” 

“I can go do something else while you get it sorted if you want. No need for me to be nosey.” Prompto was already preparing to stand up, but Noctis grabbed his arm.

“No- I trust you. Nobody else knows about this, but… It’d be nice if I could tell someone. I just hope you don’t mind.”

“Why would I? We’re buds.” 

Noctis took a deep breath, and typed in the URL to a website. It was similar to the clothing shop Prompto had shown him, but all of their products looked to be tight-fitting tank tops. “I’m gonna buy myself a binder.” 

Despite the research Prompto had done, he didn’t know a lot about binders. He didn’t exactly think he had the need for one as a cis guy - though a particularly cruel comment he received at the age of fifteen might’ve convinced him otherwise. 

“They’re for making your chest look flat, right? I think?” He pondered, to which Noctis nodded in response. “You know… I don’t know an awful lot about these things, but aren’t you supposed to have, like, exact measurements of your body before you get one? They kinda look like they’d squeeze all the air outta you.” 

“I think I’ll be alright. I had to get measured for that stupid dress I wore for the announcement. Kept the notes on my phone.” Noctis said, browsing through all the different colours. He settled on a simple black binder which left the midriff exposed. 

Prompto wanted to ask how he’d been binding before now, but he decided it wasn’t his place. He knew this was a very personal matter, and what Noctis shared about it was entirely his own choice. He stayed silent and watched Noctis as he took himself through the checkout, but he stopped at the delivery address page.

“Can I get it delivered here?”

“I think I already said yes, but just to clarify; _yes_.” Prompto assured him, slipping the laptop onto his own lap and typing in his address for Noctis.

“Thank you, Prom. You’re kind of a lifesaver.” 

“Happy I could help.” 

Noctis placed the order, and moved the laptop onto the floor once he received the message of confirmation. “It kind of… doesn’t feel real. I’ve been thinking about getting this stuff for literal years, you know. Thanks for letting me put that plan into action.” 

“You’re the one who was brave enough to talk to press the checkout button, dude! You should be thanking yourself. I just wanted to give you a place where you could do it without some mean old butler gettin’ on your back.” Prompto wasn’t very good at taking praise or compliments. He’d much rather be the one giving them. 

“You’d never believe this, but Iggy’s only twenty one.”

“He’s _what?!_ ” Prompto exclaimed. “He looked, like, at least thirty when I saw him at the interview.” 

“I think he ages by about a month every time I do something ‘un-princely’, which in his eyes, is a lot.” Noctis shrugged.

“Sounds like a huuuuge bore. Does he, like, live with you?” Prompto was bewildered. He’d never heard about the little parts of the royal lifestyle before. It was fascinating.

“Not exactly, but he comes to my apartment near constantly. He cooks and cleans, those kinda things.” Noctis said these things so nonchalantly, as if having a personal retainer was a normal thing. Well, it _was_ normal to him. 

“He cooks? Is he any good?” 

“Maybe I’ll have him whip something up for you and you can find out for yourself.” 

“Sounds awesome.” Prompto cleared his throat. “Will that gigantic macho man be there, too?” Honestly, he found the guy terrifying. 

“What, Gladio? He’s a big softie. Hey- we could have a big dinner night! I could introduce you.”

“Wouldn’t it be kinda… I don’t know… weird? I’m just a commoner.”

Noctis looked down, fumbling with his fingers. “I’ve never really connected with anyone like this before. I think they’d be happy to know I’ve made a friend.”

Well, that just about broke Prompto’s heart. 

“In that case, I think your idea is rad. Ooh! We could go see a movie! Oooor, we could go bowling! Or… No, actually, those were my only two ideas.” 

Truth was, Prompto had never really connected with anyone like this before, either. He’d never been on a group outing with friends. It took a few moments to dawn on him just how excited he felt about the suggestion.

“I, um… That sounds great, Prom, but I think we should just start out small, yeah? Plus, you’d get to see my apartment. It’d be fun, right?”

Prompto had gotten carried away with himself. “Yeah. Right.” 

“When do you wanna do it? I think I’m free most of this week, so…” Noctis trailed off. He actually seemed very hopeful about the prospect of a get together. 

“I’ve actually got some time off work at Capulus this week because of the Moogle Chocobo Carnival, so I’m down for whenever.” It wasn't exactly that Prompto was planning to go to the carnival - it didn't sound so fun going all on his own. The cafe had simply anticipated they'd be getting less customers that week, and had given him an impromptu holiday.

“The carnival?” Noctis’s eyes seemed to light up. “Uh- Prompto, I changed my mind.”

“You what now?” 

“I wanna go to the carnival. I know I just said I wanted to start out small, but… I’ve never actually been to anything like this before.” 

Right. They’d talked about this at the interview. “All by yourself?”

Noctis laughed in response. “What? No, I mean with you. It sounds fun.”

“What about Gladio and Iggy?” Prompto questioned.

“I dunno if it’s their kinda thing, but… We could meld our two ideas together, you know? Carnival first and then back to my apartment for dinner?” Noctis offered. Sounded like it was just gonna be the two of them. Prompto didn't mind that - he found the idea of keeping track of multiple people at a crowded festival overwhelming, quite frankly.

“You got the spoons for that?” Prompto chuckled, though he was genuinely concerned for Noctis’s stamina.

“Meh. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Hanging out with you makes me feel way less nervous.” Prompto could say the same thing about Noctis.

“Well, then, sure! Let’s do it. I’m gonna pet me _so_ many chocobos!” 

And with that, it was a date. A totally platonic date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I say this at the end of pretty much every chapter, but thank you so much for supporting me so far! Every kudos and comment makes me so happy.


	13. Bonus doodle dump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been doing a lot of drawings of chubby prom and trans noct inbetween updates!! I thought I'd put them here for you guys to see. I post them to my art tumblr, phomarciam, and my ffxv tumblr, chubbyargentum if you wanna keep updated!! I rly hope you guys like this little doodle dump!!

**Some Episode Prompto stuff**

**A couple of doodle requests - the boys meet a baby chocobo, and the boys playing videogames (I picked Overcooked.)**

**Noct stimming:**

**Some Gay Shit(TM)**

**Aaand just a bunch of miscellaneous drawings I did of Prom and Noct!**


	14. Noctis V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis prepares to head to the carnival with Prompto.

“Thanks for treating us to such an elaborate banquet, Your Highness.” Gladiolus joked, shoving a handful of salty fries into his mouth. He, Ignis and Noctis were sat in a booth at a local diner. Noctis was, unfortunately, wearing his usual feminine attire. He’d often been nicknamed a ‘tomboy’ for his usual clothing sense - even when presenting as the Princess, he wore t-shirts and jeans almost exclusively. Today, he was wearing his hair in a low ponytail. It made him feel, ever so subtly, more masculine. 

“Quite. Though, the Crow’s Nest certainly isn’t the… healthiest of choices, I must say.” Ignis chimed in. All he had in front of him was a black coffee, freshly served. 

“Only the best for my royal retainers.” Noctis said, in his usual dry tone. He was picking at his food - he’d ordered a ‘plain’ cheeseburger with a side of fries, but the burger sauce was dripping out of the side of his sandwich and onto some of his fries. He didn’t like that. He lifted the burger bun, inspecting for any sign of pickles - luckily, there were none. 

“So, what is it you want to discuss?” Ignis asked. The reason Noctis had decided to eat out with the others today was to tell them about the plans he had made - and to do that, he was going to have to tell them about Prompto. 

“Well, you know how I’ve started going out on my own? Like, as myself?”

“What about it?” Gladiolus asked, mouth full. Ignis gave him an ashamed glance, to which Gladio responded with a shrug. 

“I found this really nice little coffee shop a few blocks away from the high street.”

“A coffee shop, you say? And you didn’t invite me?” Ignis feigned offence. Noctis stuck out his tongue. “I thought you didn’t care for coffee.”

“I mean, I’m not a huge fan, but… That’s besides the point.” Deep breath. Time to tell the guys about his new friend. “There’s a barista there who’s always serving when I show up, and we’ve kind of… started talking?” 

“You mean you’ve found a new pal? Good for you, buddy.” Gladio smiled. 

“Yeah! And, here’s the thing- You guys have met him before. I don’t think you actually talked, but- well-” Noctis needed to slow down a little. “You remember the interview a few days ago? Like, the photographer dude who wanted to talk to me?”

“How could we forget? We had to jump through many a hoop to cancel the rest of your interviews.” Ignis said.

“You mean the big guy who was sweatin’ buckets? Honestly, I thought you were gonna ask me to kick his ass.” Gladio responded. Noctis decided not to indulge too much in that statement - truth was, he almost _did_ ask Gladio of that favour. 

“Yeah, him. Turns out we went to school together. He, um… He got it.” 

“Got what?” Gladio asked, reaching for more fries.

“You know. Noctis.”

“You told him?” Ignis raised his concern.

“He figured it out. He told me I could hang out at his cafe without worrying, so… I took him up on it.” Noctis could tell he wasn’t doing a very good job of advertising Prompto to Gladio and Iggy. They both looked a little uncomfortable with the whole situation. “I _promise_ you guys he’s chill. We’ve been hanging out, and it’s… nice. He’s my friend.” 

“Well, I’ll happily take your word for it. Where are you going with this, though?” 

“There’s a carnival opening today in the city centre, and tomorrow he and I are gonna go check it out.” Noctis didn’t realise how hard he was smiling as he explained the plan. 

“Would you like us to come with you?” Ignis offered, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Carnivals ain’t really my thing.” Gladio grouched. 

“Actually, I kind of had a different idea for you guys. I want you to meet Prompto, but… I don’t know- it might be kind of obvious if you two walk around with me at the carnival. I’m, um… gonna be wearing some new clothes. I don’t feel like getting noticed.” 

“You bought new clothes? Are they cool?” 

“Uh- technically, no. As in- They are cool. I just didn’t get them myself. Prompto bought ‘em for me.” That sounded a little strange out of context. They’d only been talking for a few days. “Engagement gift.” Much better. 

“Charming.” Ignis replied. “And what of this idea you have for Gladio and I?” 

“After the carnival, I want you to cook a big dinner for the four of us. I wanna introduce Prom to you guys, and I thought it’d just be… I dunno. A nice way to do it, I guess?” 

This was a lot of planning for one small meeting. Was Noct going overboard? 

“Ah, yes. Introduce your common friend to a life of luxury, is it? I can certainly come up with something.” Ignis agreed. 

“What are you gonna cook?” Despite how tired he tended to sound, Noctis was very excited. It showed; he was fidgeting in his seat. 

“Well, what kind of cuisines does your friend prefer?” 

“Salads, I hope.” Gladio muttered, and for once in his life Noctis was praying that it was just a jab at his own aversion to vegetables. 

“I’ll ask him about it. Hang on.” Noctis whipped out his phone and sent a text to Prompto. ‘What kind of food do u like? Asking iggy 2 cook for us” 

It took a few moments, but Noctis received a reply. ‘Im down for anything!! Maybe smth fancy though? Since ur a prince and all.’

“He said ‘something fancy.’” Noctis confirmed. 

“Noted. I’ll have a look through my notebook and see what I can do.” Ignis said. 

Phew. The hard part was finally out of the way. All Noctis needed to do now was prepare himself for the carnival.

* * *

  
  


The next day, Noctis showed up at Prompto’s apartment around lunch time. He’d received a text from Prompto saying there were a bunch of parcels waiting for him, and there was no way he’d pass up the opportunity to wear his new clothes to the carnival. 

“I’m sorry, dude, I don’t think your binder’s in with the rest. I’ll let you know as soon as it arrives, though, alright?” Prompto apologised, handing the large, squishy package over to Noctis, who immediately ripped it open. 

“It’s fine! I’m excited that any of it arrived, honestly.” Noctis grinned, laying out each of his new clothes on Prompto’s sofa.

“Glad we went for next day delivery, then?” 

“Absolutely.” 

Noctis examined his new clothes. He had four shirts: Two t-shirts, and two button up flannel shirts. The t-shirts were both black, and one had a little grey skull and crossbone design on it. The flannel shirts were rather dark; one with a black and blue pattern, and the other with black and grey. The jeans he’d bought were black and looked around the right size, though much less fitted to his feminine build. Instead, they were baggier around the calves, and they had _actual pockets._ That was a strange but exciting surprise for Noctis. The last item was a black waxed cotton jacket. It was vaguely formless, had a belt around the waist and plenty of pockets. It looked very comfortable. 

“You wanna go put them on?” Prompto asked. “You can use my bathroom.” 

“You mind if I do?” Noctis nodded, picking up his new jeans, the t-shirt with the skull and crossbones, and the blue flannel. 

“Go for it! I can’t wait to see how you look.” Prompto gestured to the door leading to the bathroom, and sat himself down on the sofa. Noctis gingerly headed for the door and slipped through, locking it behind him.

Prompto’s bathroom was tiny - there was a combination bath/shower that took up half of the floor space, a toilet, a mirror and a sink. It was a little messy - there were makeup stains in the sink, and a few empty skin and haircare bottles still left on the side of the bathtub. There was some grot in the corners of the tiling around the bath. Apart from this, however, the bathroom was fine. Claustrophobic, but fine. Noctis was very used to his own apartment’s much larger, spotless (thanks to Ignis) bathroom. He once again had to remind himself that he and Prompto came from very different backgrounds. 

Noctis slipped off his clothes, leaving only his underwear and sports bra on. As he pulled on his new jeans, he noticed right away that the fit was strange. They clung to his hips and left a gap at his waist. He was gonna have to ask Prompto if he could borrow a belt. Apart from that, though, they fit well enough that Noctis was determined not to send them back.

The t-shirt was a little baggy, but it was very comfortable. The sleeves were much longer than a typical ‘women’s t-shirt, and the fabric didn’t conform to the curve of Noct’s waist. 

The flannel was the last thing - Noctis didn’t plan on buttoning it up, only layering it over his t-shirt to hide more of his silhouette. The cut of the shirt made his shoulders look much wider, and the layering of the outfit gave Noctis the illusion of a flat chest, which he was very happy about. 

Taking one last glance in the mirror, Noctis smiled. He was happy with how he looked in this outfit. Very happy. His long hair, which was tied into a bun, irked him, but he’d brought his old cap with him for a reason. He collected his old clothes from the floor and headed back out into Prompto’s studio. 

Prompto looked up as he heard the door open, and grinned when he saw Noctis. “Oh my Gods, dude! You look awesome.” 

“Thanks, Prom. I… I think I do too.” Noctis felt his cheeks flush. He could feel adrenaline beginning to rush through his veins, but it was a positive feeling for once. He was starting to feel like _himself_. 

“You seriously look fantastic. Also, your sense of fashion? Almost as good as mine. I’ve taught you well.” Prompto teased. Today he was wearing ripped skinny jeans, a dark tank top with a chocobo road sign printed on the chest, and a denim vest with a few patches. They looked like they’d been sewn on by hand. One of them was a small rectangle with three horizontal stripes of pink, purple and blue. Noctis recognised it immediately; it was a bi pride flag. Would it be rude to comment on it? Surely not - Prompto wouldn’t be wearing it if he didn’t want people to see it, right?

“I like your patches.” Noctis commented sensitively. 

“Aw, thanks. I’ve been collecting them for a while now. I even considered making my own, but I dunno if my hands are up to the task.” Prompto seemed to follow Noctis’ line of sight, because he gestured to the flag patch. “By the way, I’m bisexual. So, uh… Solidarity? Kind of?”

Noctis was taken aback at how open Prompto was about his sexuality, but it didn’t much surprise him. Prompto was a loud guy, and it was fair enough for him to assume Noctis was a safe person to come out to - he was LGBT too, after all. “Thanks for telling me. It’s nice to know other people like me. I… Don’t know what I am.” Noctis admitted. 

Prompto offered a sympathetic smile. “It took me a long while to figure it out myself. It’s okay to not know, you know that? You just gotta… take it at your own pace.” 

“Yeah. You’re right. Thanks, man.” Noctis replied. “Where should I…” He held his clothes out in front of him.

“Oh, right- yeah- I have this big shopping bag you can put all your loot in. You wanna drop it off back at yours before we head to the carnival?” Prompto’s use of the word ‘loot’ was amusing to Noct, but he stifled his giggle. 

“If you don’t mind taking a detour, sure.” Noctis agreed. He was a little nervous about stopping by his apartment dressed like this, but he was sure it’d be fine. Prompto went to grab the bag for Noctis, who lazily dumped all his clothes in at once. He couldn’t care less about folding them. 

Noctis was just about ready to set out, so he secured his cap on his head. "Hey, could I borrow a belt?"

“Sure- Oh! That reminds me.” Prompto hurriedly moved away to grab a small shopping bag. “I got you an extra present.”

“An ‘extra’ present?” Noctis inquired. Prompto had already bought all of these clothes for Noctis - what else could he possibly have left to give? 

“It’s nothing big, I just thought you might get tired of wearing the same hat all the time.” Prompto dipped his hand into the bag, and pulled out something small, red and woolen. 

“A beanie…?” Noctis asked. 

“Mhm. Can I…?” Prompto gestured towards Noctis, to which Noctis nodded in response. Prompto took the cap from Noctis’s head, revealing the messy bun underneath, and dropped the hat into Noctis’s big bag of clothes. He then slid the beanie over Noctis’s head, making sure to tuck the bun in properly, and instinctively going to style his bangs just a tad. 

While all this was happening, Noctis wasn’t entirely sure where to look. This was, without a doubt, the closest he’d ever been to Prompto, who was reaching his arms over his shoulders. He smelled nice, in a strange way - the scent of cheap body spray and a hint of coffee. Though Prompto was decidedly distracted by trying to tuck the hair into the beanie, Noctis was fully aware whenever he glanced downwards and made eye contact. Noctis could see Prompto’s face in massive detail, and he took these brief seconds to study it. His eyes were pretty. They were shockingly bright, and the eye makeup Prompto wore only amplified that effect. His freckles covered every inch of his pale skin, but they especially grouped together over his nose and cheeks. His cheeks were soft, both in the sense of texture and shape, but Noctis could see the tiniest, rugged evidence of stubble forming at the pores. Oh, right. Cis guys had to shave that. He started to ponder what Prompto would look like with a five o clock shadow. Would it be evened out and attractive like a movie star’s beard, or would it be more patchy, like something he’d seen back in the last couple of years of high school? 

“There. I think that fits the whole flannel-and-jeans look a little more.” 

Noctis was quickly transported back to reality when Prompto finally pulled away from him. He turned slightly to face the full-length mirror in the corner of Prompto’s room. The beanie’s red colour was a stark contrast against the cool blues of the rest of his outfit, but Noctis didn’t mind. It was warm and comfortable and hid just as much hair - if not more - than the cap had. 

“I really like it. Thanks, Prom.” Noctis smiled. He had the sudden, overwhelming urge to go and hug Prompto. He’d been so helpful as of late. So understanding, so kind. Noctis was already missing the brief, comforting moment when they were right up against eachother. 

“I’m glad. Sorry it wasn’t something more exciting.” Prompto chuckled. 

Noctis’s urges got the better of him. He shuffled over and uncertainly wrapped his arms around Prompto. Prompto’s initial reaction seemed to be confusion, but after a second or so, he hugged Noctis back. 

“Thank you for everything. You’re awesome, Prom.” Noctis mumbled. His head was pressed against Prompto’s shoulder. Despite the initial hesitation, Prompto was unmistakably the best hugger Noctis had ever encountered. Then again, he hadn’t met many huggers. Gladio, maybe, but his hugs were rough and brief. This, here, with Prompto? This was different. Prompto’s embrace was tender. The softness of his body was a factor, sure, but the gentle nature of his hold would’ve been warm and comfortable regardless of how he was shaped. This was clearly something Prompto was good at, and Noctis didn’t want to let go. 

“Hey, man. It’s nothing. We’re friends now, aren’t we?” Prompto replied, and Noctis could hear that he was smiling. 

At some point, the two pulled away from eachother. It was okay, though. All good things had to come to an end.

Noctis picked up his bag, and sighed deeply. “Alright, then. Shall we go?”

“Lead the way, Prince Charming.” Prompto joked. 

  
That _was_ a joke, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took a while! My updates are a little sporadic, I know. Thank you all for your patience!


	15. Prompto V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go to the Moogle Chocobo Festival.

Prompto had a car, but he didn’t use it often. Fuel was expensive. He usually commuted to work via public transport. However, there were days where it felt better to just drive around of his own accord, blasting his own music and going at his own pace. Today, he was going to be taking his shitty old mini for a spin, with the Crown Prince of Lucis riding shotgun. 

“Sorry, she’s kind of… ancient.” Prompto apologised, as he and Noctis fastened their seatbelts. 

“Nah, she’s rustic! I like it. My dad has this ultra modern custom car called the Regalia. She’s pretty cool, I guess, but sometimes all the controls look a little… overwhelming. I don’t know. I haven’t actually driven her before.” 

“Your dad drives?” Prompto asked. Picturing the feeble and frail King Regis cruising around in a slick convertible felt amusing to him. He’d never really imagined him doing anything apart from sitting in his throne and giving speeches. Then again, he’d never imagined that Prince Noctis was a fan of chocobos and double caramel lattes, either. The royal family seemed surprisingly… normal. 

“Not any more. He went on a big road trip with his pals once, before I was born. Then Mors died and…. He had to take on his role as the king. Couldn’t keep doing all his princely endeavours any more. He had to stay at the Citadel and protect the country. Plus, he’s not doing so great these days. I think he has bigger priorities than driving around. Poor Regalia’s collecting dust.” Noctis explained. There seemed to be a small twinge of sadness in his voice, which Prompto assumed was because of the King’s condition. 

“Well, I bet he made some great memories on that roadtrip, anyhow.” Prompto liked to try and focus on the positives rather than the negatives. He wasn’t good at indulging in negativity for long - and there was no way he was gonna let Noct make himself sad on a day like this. He deserved to be happy.

“I’m sure he did. He told me about it when I was younger. It sounded fun. Maybe one day you and I could go on one!” Noctis’s voice perked up a little.

“Yeah! Hey, this is kind of like a half-hour roadtrip in itself, right? Why don’t you put on some tunes? That’s the loyal duty of the shotgun.” Prompto, while keeping his eyes on the road, gestured downwards to the aux cord. Normally he was a lot less careful, but he had one of the most important people in the country sitting next to him. 

Noctis tentatively reached for the wire and plugged it into his phone - it was the latest model, shiny and new, which Prompto was only vaguely jealous of. His own smartphone - which was currently operating as his navigator on the way to Noct’s apartment - did its job pretty well. The screen was cracked and sometimes it refused to charge, but he could make calls on it, take photos when he forgot his camera and browse social media, so he was happy.

After a few seconds, music began softly emanating from the car’s speakers. It was tinny and quiet, but audible. The music itself was the kind of thing Prompto might’ve listened to during his teens - dark, edgy pop punk. Quite honestly, he wasn’t surprised this was the kind of music Noctis was into. He’d always had somewhat of an emo atmosphere to him. Perhaps it was his shaggy black hair and matching clothes. 

Noctis seemed to be tapping his fingers on his leg along with the music. Prompto actually recognised the song, as much as he cringed to admit it. He idly hummed along. 

“You know this song?” Noctis asked.

“Hah, yeah. I used to be all about these guys when I was younger. I think I even had one of their shirts.” 

“Dude, I would’ve killed for something like that. My dad didn’t like me wearing too many branded things. He didn’t want it to look like I was sponsoring them. Lucis Caelum reputation, all that shit.” 

Prompto supposed that made sense. Still, it was quite enlightening to learn about how the royal family operated. 

“If it’s any consolation, dude, when you’re with me, you can just… Be that. A dude. No regal reputation shit tying you down.” Prompto assured Noct. He’d noticed how much he talked about his father and his duty. It kind of made him sad. It sounded like there were a lot of rules that came with being a prince, and not all of them were very fun to adhere to.

“Thanks, man. I like just being ‘a dude.’ Gods know Iggy and Gladio won’t let me do it. It’s all ‘duty’ this and ‘responsibility’ that. I just wanna kick back and be nineteen for once, you know?” 

Prompto sighed in response. “Yeah… I mean, it’s nowhere near the same, but I think I get you. I mean, I’m running two jobs and I’m only the same age as you. It’s real tiresome. I live for the days where I can just eat snacks and play videogames.”

“Gods, me too.” 

It was increasingly reassuring to Prompto how similar he and Noctis really were. His sense of solidarity seemed to deepen by the minute. He had to stop himself from repeatedly glancing over at Noctis, who had an idle smile across his lips. His features were sharp and handsome. He was humming along to the music now, still tapping his fingers, and he was gazing out of the windshield. 

Eyes on the road.

Noctis’s apartment wasn’t far from Prompto’s, and they arrived much quicker than anticipated. Noctis unplugged his phone from the aux cord and called Ignis.

“Hey, Iggy, we’re outside the apartment. Could you come and grab this bag off me? Yeah? Okay, thanks, man.” 

After a minute or two, a slender young man wearing a waistcoat and glasses exited the apartment building, and approached the car. Prompto’s cheeks flushed. He hadn’t anticipated actually meeting the retainers just yet. 

“Hello there.” Ignis greeted the two, arriving at the car window, which Prompto had rolled down. “Well met, Prompto. My name is Ignis. The Prince has told me about you.” 

Prompto gulped, trying to hide his panic. He glanced over at Noctis, who gave him a comforting look.

“Hey there! I’m, uh, chauffeuring Prince Noctis today. Uh. No biggie. Nice to meet you, Iggy- I mean, Ignis.” Prompto introduced himself, reaching a hand out through the window to shake Ignis’s, who politely obliged.

“Just a chauffeur, are we? It seems you’ve stolen my job.” Ignis laughed. He seemed to have a rather dry sense of humour. “I hope you two have a lovely time at the carnival, anyhow. I must get back to preparing your meal. Noctis ever so graciously asked me to cook for the two of you tonight.” 

“Told him you wanted something real fancy.” Noctis added. He was grinning, happy to see two of his friends finally meeting each other. “Bag’s in the trunk, by the way.” 

Ignis walked to the back of the car and took the bag from the trunk. Prompto’s camera was back there too - he was bringing it along for the day’s festivities.

“We can get to know each other properly at dinner time. Do look after the Prince today, will you?” Ignis requested, before turning on his heel and walking back to the apartment, waving one hand to Prompto and Noctis. “Ta ta for now.”

Prompto rolled the window back up. “So. That was Iggy, huh?”

“He seems posh, but… Well- yeah, actually, he is. He’s basically like a brother to me, though. I’ll make him go easy on you.” Noctis promised. “Gladio on the other hand…”

“What about Gladio?” Prompto asked, switching his navigator to the city centre and setting off in the car once more.

“He’s a little overwhelming. No match for you, though.” 

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just… I don’t know. You give me that ‘do no harm but take no shit’ vibe, you know?” 

“Are you implying he’s gonna do me harm and I’m gonna have to not take his shit?” Prompto questioned, a little nervously. What was Noct getting at here?

“No- I- well- Damn. Kinda lost my train of thought. Sorry. What I was trying to say is that Gladio’s… very outspoken. Some people don’t like how blunt he is. I know I don’t. But you - you’re outspoken, too. I mean that in a good way. You don’t hold back when you have something you need to say. I feel like, cuz of that, you two might _just_ get along.” 

“Right. Cuz, you know, I’m pretty sure he was waiting to kill me back at the interview.” Prompto mused sarcastically.

“I wouldn’t let him. I wouldn’t let anyone lay a finger on you, Prom. I hope you know that.” Noctis’s voice was warm and genuine, and for a moment Prompto had to look back over at his face again. Noctis didn’t have to reassure him like that, but he did. 

Prompto felt a lot of feelings. Some, he was too scared to admit, even in his head. How lovely the Prince of Lucis really was. How down to earth and friendly he was. Noctis Lucis Caelum was a wonderful human being, Prompto thought. He was rather beautiful.

“Thanks. That means a lot, considering you have an army of trained assassins at your disposal.” Prompto turned his attention back to the road and tried not to let his mood become too tender. He didn’t want to cause an accident and forever end the Lucis Caelum line by crashing the car. 

“My dad does. Not me. I just have those two goofs.” 

“And me, if you’ll have me.” Prompto offered, though he was mostly joking.

“Really?” Noctis sounded excited. “You know you could legit join the Crownsguard, right? You’d get a wicked outfit and everything. They’d even, like, train you in weaponry.” He suggested. From the sounds of it, he wasn’t joking as much as Prompto had been. Prompto was surprised, but strangely honoured. Did Noctis really trust him that much?

“I… Thanks, Noct. Um…” Prompto paused. “What about my reporter job, though? And the coffee shop?”

“I- I know. It’s a big ask. I won’t ask you to make a decision right now, I mean… Don’t worry about it. Sorry. I got carried away with myself.” Noctis’s voice quietened. Prompto felt bad. He didn’t mean to disappoint him like that. He’d just taken him off guard, that was all. 

"I'll think about it. Might get me out of this rut, you know?" Prompto smiled. "Not exactly where I saw my life going, but then I don't know where I _did_ see it going either." 

"Life's unpredictable. I found out I was getting married through eavesdropping." 

"You mean they made the decision without you even being in the room? Dude, that sucks!" Prompto exclaimed, once again looking over at Noctis. He was much too distracted. Noctis actually pointed to the road this time, signalling for Prompto to keep his focus.

"You don't really get to make many choices for yourself when you're someone like me. You… get used to it." Noctis said. His tone, like when he spoke about his father, became sad.

"That's awful. Noct, I'm so sorry." Prompto was desperate to lean over and hug Noctis, but he was still driving. Maybe when they arrived at the carnival he'd make up for it. 

"Thanks. It's nice to have someone sympathise with me for once."

The two chatted idly for the rest of the car journey. Occasionally, Prompto would break into song when a tune he recognised started playing through the speakers - an action which made Noctis flap his hands around with delight. Noctis told Prompto that he was a good singer. Prompto appreciated the compliment - he'd never been formally trained, but he _did_ have a playlist of ballads he'd put on in the shower from time to time. 

By the time the two boys had arrived at the jam-packed car park in the city centre, they were both already singing, laughing and having a grand old time.

* * *

  
  


Insomnia’s city centre looked like an absolute treat today. There were yellow, white and pink balloons floating around every corner and similarly coloured buntings hanging between every lamp post. There were countless stalls set up along the streets, some with games, others simply selling merchandise and food. The city centre’s park had been covered with all kinds of carnival rides and games. Prompto could see the top of the ferris wheel from a mile off. Though it was daytime, the lights strung across its beams glowed brightly. There were speakers dotted around the area, blasting upbeat pop music. 

With all the different stalls, rides and foods to pick from, Prompto had no idea where to start.

“What do you wanna do first, Noct?” He asked, turning to face his friend. Noctis looked nervous. Prompto wasn’t surprised; there was a lot going on around the two of them. It was noisy and busy and colourful. “We can go at your own pace, okay?” Prompto assured the other. He almost went to offer a hand to hold, but he didn’t. He felt as though that could be crossing some kind of line. 

However, Prompto didn’t need to reach for Noctis’s hand, because Noctis took Prompto’s first. 

“Sorry, uh…” Noctis mumbled, staring downwards, barely audible. “I just feel safer.” 

“Sure. I don’t mind.” Prompto squeezed the other’s hand gently, assuring him that everything was okay. Something about the touch of the Prince’s hand sent a rush of adrenaline through Prompto’s body. A strange mix of anxiety mixed with the intense urge to jump for joy. It was a feeling he was very familiar with, though one he scarcely encountered. The last time he’d felt like this was when he’d been assigned an especially sweet and pretty girl as his lab partner back at school, when he was sixteen. She goofed off with him during class and they earned good grades together, but after that they never spoke again. Prompto never had the guts to act on that feeling he felt for her.

This was not good.

This was a crush.

He couldn’t develop feelings for Noctis. It was absolutely, positively, utterly not allowed. Noctis was the Crown Prince of Lucis, and more importantly, he was already engaged. 

Prompto wanted to let go of Noctis’s hand, so that he could at least try to stifle the feelings he was developing for the man. He didn’t let go, though. He wanted to offer comfort towards the Prince, and more importantly… It just felt so nice. 

“Wanna check out some of the food stalls first? I haven’t eaten.” Prompto suggested, deciding it was time for the two to move on.

“Oh! Yeah, uh- sure. Um… What kinda food do they do?” Noct asked, glancing around.

“I dunno, dude! Let’s go find out.” Giving Noctis’s hand the most gentle of tugs, Prompto started walking through the crowded festival. He looked over a lot, making sure that Noctis was okay. While Noctis still looked vaguely nervous and overwhelmed, there was a new expression of wonder on his face. He looked all around as the two walked, taking in the party-like atmosphere. A smile was beginning to form on his face, and that made Prompto smile in return.

The carnival seemed to be neatly sectioned out, and all the food stalls were in one convenient place, lined up all in a row. Each stall seemed to sell a different kind of food - some purely savoury, others sweet. 

“Ooh! I know!” Noctis pointed excitedly to a stall with a chalkboard sign reading ‘Freshly Fried Doughnuts.’ 

“Doughnuts, huh? You have a crazy sweet tooth, don’t you?” Prompto responded, recalling Noctis’s latte order. He and Noctis began to slowly walk towards the doughnut stall.

“And what of it?” 

“Nothing. I just think it’s cu- funny. You know, cuz, you’re the Prince.” Of course Prompto had to slip up. He seemed to be good at that. He’d gotten away with calling Noctis handsome once, but calling him cute as well? Surely Noct would figure out what was up sooner or later. 

“You’re not the only one.” Noctis laughed. “I’ll let you in on a secret. I don’t eat greens. I can’t stand them. Iggy _hates_ me for it.” 

“Is it, like, the texture?” 

“Yeah. It… I dunno. Vegetables just gross me out, I guess. I’m not really the healthiest Prince ever, am I?”

“It makes sense.” Prompto nodded, though he wanted to rescind the statement as soon as he put it out there. It was rude of him to just assume why Noctis might just have an aversion to certain textures. He was just full of mistakes today, wasn’t he? Talking before thinking. It was like Prompto had no control over his mouth. Maybe his mouth just wanted to do things other than speaking for once. Maybe that was what it was all about. 

“You think? I mean… I guess so. I dunno if you got this about me, Prom, but there’s a lot of stuff that I’m, like, weirdly sensitive to. Big crowds aren’t exactly my thing, either.” Phew. Noctis didn’t seem to mind Prompto’s assumption, though Prom did have to wonder if they were on the same page. 

“Then I think you’re one heck of a cool guy for deciding to come out here today.” Prompto said. “I’m proud of you, dude.” 

The two arrived at the doughnut stall. There was a small queue, but neither of them minded waiting. 

“You okay?” Prompto looked to Noctis, who had tightened his hold on Prompto’s hand. 

“Yeah. Just… Could I ask you a favour? It’s kinda dumb.”

“Nothing’s dumb to me. Go ahead.” 

“Could you maybe order for me?” 

There were at least two reasons Prompto could imagine for why Noctis would ask this of him, and both seemed perfectly valid. The first; that he didn’t want his voice to be heard in case of being outed as the Prince, and the second; that he was simply too anxious to interact with a stranger. Prompto decided not to pry into them. He didn’t mind the request one bit. 

“‘Course. What do you wanna get?” 

Noctis looked over at the menu board. The stall sold fresh doughnuts with various toppings, as well as coffee. 

“Can I just get some plain doughnuts? Like, just with sugar on ‘em?” He asked.

“Sure, dude! I think I’m gonna get the chocolate-filled ones. I’m, like, craving something super sweet. Gods, the food here just smells so _good_ .” Prompto had to subconsciously note the change in attitude he’d developed since his big discussion with Noctis. Feeling free from the shackles of his past, he found himself not even _thinking_ about calories anymore - a big change from a week ago, where he was too scared to even add sugar to a cup of tea. 

“You deserve a treat, man.” Noctis replied. 

“Yeah, I really think I do.” Prompto agreed, grinning. “And so do you.” Truthfully, he thought Noctis deserved more than just sugary donuts, but that was a conversation for another time. Noctis deserved to be able to live in a world where he wasn’t being endlessly pressed by the media and his royal responsibility. Noctis deserved to be able to live his truth, without having to go incognito just to enjoy a goofy family festival. Noctis deserved to be truly _happy._

It was the boys’ turn in the queue. The person running the stall was a cheerful older woman. 

“Hi there! Could I get one bag of sugar donuts and one bag of chocolate donuts, please?” Prompto asked, reaching into his pocket with his spare hand to grab his wallet. 

“Treating your boyfriend, are we? That’ll be 1000 yen, please.” The woman chuckled lightly. Prompto did a double take, glancing between the woman and Noctis. 

“I- Uh- we’re not-” He stuttered, handing the money over, but the lady paid no notice and went to prepare their order. Prompto’s cheeks became hot, and he realised the hand he was sharing with Noctis was getting a little sweaty, so he let go and rubbed it on his jeans. Thinking about it, it somewhat made sense that they might be mistaken for a couple. Two boys holding hands and grinning at eachother, one with a bi pride flag on his vest. Gods. Prompto had walked right into that one. 

The lady leaned out of the stall and handed two paper bags to Prompto. “Here you go, darling.” 

“Thank you!” Prompto smiled, rather flustered, and he and Noctis left the stall, heading to a nearby bench to sit down for a moment. 

“Oh-em-gee, Noct. I am so sorry.” Prompto babbled, barely able to make eye contact. It was okay, though, because Noctis seemed to be struggling as well. “She totally thought we were dating. I’m so embarrassed. I’m sorry, dude.” 

Noctis was quiet for a moment, staring down at the concrete in front of them. It was almost like he didn’t hear Prompto at all. 

“Noct… Are you okay? I’ve made this so awkward, I’m sorry-” 

“She thought I was your boyfriend.” Noctis mumbled. 

“I- I know.”

“No, Prom, you’re not getting it.” Noctis raised his head and gazed into Prompto’s eyes, beaming from ear to ear. “She thought I was a guy.” 

Prompto was baffled for a moment as to why that would be a shock, before remembering that for most of his life, Noctis hadn’t actually been seen for the man he was. “Oh, shit! Dude, that’s so awesome! I mean- I totally forgot that was, like, a _thing_ for you. I must sound so dumb right now. Gods.” 

Noctis laughed. “No, dude! I actually appreciate it. Like… You see me for _me_ , you know? You didn’t even _think_ about me being trans. That... means a lot, in a weird way.” 

If Prompto wasn’t already blushing from embarrassment as hard as he could, he somehow managed to become more flustered when he felt a familiar hand slide back into his. 

“Dude…” Prompto mumbled, looking down at their intertwined fingers. “What if people think we’re, like, a couple again?” 

Noctis pondered the question for a moment. “Does it make you uncomfortable? Cuz we don’t have to.” He asked, his grip loosening a little. 

“No- I mean- I just thought maybe it’d make _you_ uncomfortable.” Prompto replied. “Like, I don’t know… The misconception, or whatever-”

“I want to hold your hand, Prompto.” Noctis affirmed. 

What on Eos did he mean? Did Noctis realise how much he was toying with Prompto’s fragile emotions right now? Surely this was only for comfort reasons, right? There was no way he was flirting, right? The Prince wouldn’t flirt with Prompto. The Prince, ridiculously photogenic and endlessly important, who was due to be married off for a political treaty, would not flirt with a chubby commoner who barely survived on minimum wage. There was no way. 

Prompto gulped, still unable to make eye contact - interestingly, it seemed like Noctis hadn’t taken his eyes off of him once since he first looked back up. “W-Why?” He only asked so that he could make sure it was platonic, that he wouldn’t get his hopes up any longer. 

“It just feels nice.” 

Prompto wanted to scream.

What kind of answer was that? He couldn’t very well ask _why_ it felt nice, now, could he? He couldn’t for the life of him figure out whether Noctis was being a massive tease, or if he was just _really awkward_. It was driving him insane. 

“Well, then, I will continue to hold your hand.” Prompto sighed, exasperated, though he didn’t want to show it. He didn’t want Noctis to feel like he was doing something wrong. He really wasn’t. Prompto was the one blowing it way out of proportion. 

“Thanks.” Noctis reached over Prompto with his free hand and took his bag of donuts from him. “These are gonna be better fresh, so let’s eat ‘em.” 

The two boys chatted idly as they ate their donuts - there were 3 in each bag, and they were small but vastly filling. That was lunch taken care of, even if it had next to no nutritional value. It was a treat day. Neither of them cared. 

“What do you wanna do now?” Noctis asked Prompto, licking the sugar from his fingers. 

“We’re at the Moogle Chocobo Carnival, Noct. I think you already know what I wanna do.”

“Meet the chocobos?” Noct raised an eyebrow, smirking. 

“Oh, Prince Noctis, you know me so well.” Prompto fawned, standing up. The two had parted hands while eating their donuts, so he once again offered his to Noctis, bowing dramatically. If Noctis was really gonna tease Prompto, Prompto was gonna play into it as much as he could. Noctis giggled and gladly took his hand - not with the one that was still sticky with sugar from the donuts, mind you. 

A makeshift petting zoo had been built in the park where the carnival was taking place. Six chocobos trotted around in their spacious pen, and visitors were invited in to come and pet the gorgeous creatures. Strictly speaking, they weren’t to be ridden, but a few families had gotten away with letting their kids sit on the backs of the feathered mounts for photo opportunities. 

Once more, Prompto and Noctis queued up in line for their turn to greet the birds. 

“I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen one in real life before.” Noctis noted, gazing over the fencing. 

“Oh! I have!” Prompto responded, excitedly. “I was the photographer for an article last week where they were setting this whole thing up.”

“I know, I know! You showed me, remember?” Noctis laughed, squeezing his hand gently. “Back at the interview.”

Prompto was so caught up in the euphoria of seeing the chocobos again that for a moment he’d forgotten about the selfie he’d taken that he and Noctis had bonded over. It wasn’t like he had a bad memory, there were just details that liked to slip his mind from time to time. It was kind of annoying, but he was used to it.

“I’m so excited, dude. I love chocobos. Look at their little faces! They’re so cute… I just wanna snuggle up with one.” Prompto hankered.

“Yeah. Me too. They’re adorable.” Noctis added, though he was looking up at Prompto as opposed to the chocobos. Prompto didn’t notice. He was too busy staring at the birds. 

“Can we take selfies with them? Please?” Prompto begged. He had his camera hanging around his neck, ready for any impromptu photo session. 

“Of course! Plus, I’ll admit, I’ve never really taken any selfies before. Like, I think, maybe once? You can show me the ropes.” Noctis mused. 

After about ten minutes of waiting in line, it was finally their turn to meet the birds. As soon as they were let through the gate, Prompto broke his hold of Noctis’s hand and reached his arms out, trying to catch the nearest bird’s attention. It looked over, eyes wide, as Prompto cooed. He must’ve seemed a little ridiculous, but he was much too excited to care. He spent a good minute doing this before the chocobo actually approached him, with a curious tilt of its head and a tentative ‘kweh.’ 

As soon as it was close, Prompto went to gently stroke the feathers of its neck, and it leaned happily into his touch. There was a chocobo minder nearby making sure all the birds were being treated with respect, and they gave Prompto a reassuring nod when he caught their eye. He’d been told before that he was good with animals, and this, right now, was evidence of that. 

“Hey, dude! Come here!” Prompto looked over his shoulder to beckon Noctis over, but he noticed something strange. Noctis was smiling and gazing over, but he wasn’t looking at the bird. He was looking directly at Prompto. His expression was soft, like he was caught in a daze, and the way he seemed to force himself to come to his senses when he noticed Prompto look back at him was much too telling. 

“Sorry, I was, um… distracted.” Noctis mumbled, nervously approaching the chocobo and reaching in to feel its soft, fluffy feathers. “Hey, there, buddy.” 

Was Prompto reading too far into this? Perhaps. Maybe Noctis was just a little overwhelmed and had gotten lost in thought. But the insistent hand holding, as well? The practical lack of care towards being viewed as an item? 

It couldn’t all be a coincidence, right?

Prompto shook his head and tried to erase the thought from his mind. There was simply no way it could possibly be the case. 

The chocobo greeted Noctis with a placid ‘wark.’ He jumped back a little, clearly nervous, but he reached in once more and patted the down atop its head. 

“They’re sweet, right?” Prompto spoke, barely whispering, so as to not disturb the peace between Noctis and the bird. 

“They’re so much bigger than I imagined.” Noctis breathed. 

“Hold on for a moment.” Prompto tapped Noctis’s shoulder to catch his attention and strode over to the chocobo minder, returning shortly with a handful of gysahl greens, plopping them into Noct’s hand. “Give it a little treat.” 

Prompto readied his camera as Noctis held the vegetables out in front of the chocobo, who leaned its head down and gently pecked the greens out of his hand. Noctis ran the fingers of his free hand through the yellow plumage on the bird’s neck. “It kinda tickles.” He giggled. Prompto never wanted to stop hearing the genuine joy in Noct’s voice, and he didn’t want to stop seeing the smile on his face either, so he snapped away with his camera.

Fuck, he was in deep. 

The two spent a little while longer petting the chocobo, before they were told that their time in the pen was nearly up. Prompto turned Noctis around and slinged an arm around his shoulder, preparing to take a selfie together with the chocobo. He felt Noctis’s arm slide around his waist - an action that made him blush as he pressed the shutter button. He hoped it wouldn’t show up too obviously in the photo. Maybe he’d mess around with the lighting a little in an editing program.

Whatever Noctis was doing was unspoken, but Prompto was sure he was starting to understand it. But still… why? Why would Noctis do this, to Prompto of all people? Could it be that he shared the feelings that Prompto had tried so desperately to ignore? 

Could it truly be that Noctis liked him back?

As the boys exited the chocobo pen, Noctis slipped his hand into Prompto’s once more. The two spent at least an hour playing various carnival games, and while they were convinced that most were rigged to make people fail, Prompto managed to prove that theory wrong at least once.

There was a target game that used BB guns. Prompto had to shoot targets to make prizes fall down from the wall at the back of the stall. Considering how busy the wall looked, it seemed like not many people had won this challenge. 

In his first shot, Prompto hit a target that released an oversized fat chocobo plush that had been hanging from the ceiling. There was some kind of automated “we have a winner!” noise that blared when the target was hit, which made both Prompto and Noctis jump. 

“Dude! How’d you get so good at shooting?” Noctis asked, bewildered, as the person manning the stall handed the large plush toy over to Prompto. 

“Uh… I practised?” If playing first person shooter games at the arcade counted as practise, Prompto had to be considered a master at this point. 

“That was insane. If you ever did join the Crownsguard, I guess we know what weapon you’d be using.” Noctis joked. 

Prompto stared at the massive plush toy he’d just won. He already had a chocobo plush at home, and while it was much smaller and nowhere near as cuddly, he had the pressing urge to give his prize to Noctis.

So he did. He pressed the cuddly toy into Noctis’s arms, who hesitantly hugged it close to his chest. 

“Really? You were the one who won it, man.” Noctis tried to offer the toy back.

“I want you to have it. Like, a little memento of our time out today, you know?” Prompto explained. 

“I… Thank you.” Noctis said, his voice muffled as he pressed his face into the fluffy plush toy. “Squishy…” 

Noctis held onto the fat chocobo plushie with one arm, and continued to hold Prompto’s hand with the other as they continued their journey around the carnival. It wasn’t dark, but the sun was clearly starting to set. It was strange; Prompto was certain the days had started getting shorter. It wasn’t the right time of year for it, either. Maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him. 

Despite that, Prompto had one thing on his mind that just wouldn’t go away.

Noctis. 

He’d spent half the day diligently holding his hand. 

Prompto needed to be sure. He couldn’t finish the day without knowing Noctis’s intentions. He had to do something.

“Let’s go on the ferris wheel.” He suggested, rather out of the blue.

“The ferris wheel? Heights… aren’t really my thing.” Noctis deflected, looking down. 

“Are you sure? I promise it’s safe, and nowhere near as scary as you think it’ll be.” Prompto tried to reassure him. He wasn’t sure how else to achieve his plan. “And I’ll be there, too.”

Noctis mulled over the suggestion for a moment. “Sure. Why not? It’d be nice to see what the carnival looks like from high up, anyhow.” 

* * *

  
  


Prompto could definitely feel a slightly different air around Noctis as the two climbed onto their seats on the ferris wheel. Noctis held Prompto’s hand a little tighter and kept glancing around as the wheel began to move. 

“You weren’t kidding about the heights thing, huh?”

“It’s not a big deal. I mean, I’m trained in this kinda stuff. I told you I hid in the rafters at the Citadel, didn’t I? It’s just… when it’s moving. You know?” Noctis explained, with a slight grimace on his face.

“Yeah, I get that. It’s fine, though. You just go up and back down again a couple’a times. You’ve got me and Sinkweh for company!” Prompto smiled. 

“Sinkweh?” Noctis furrowed his brow.

“I thought your chocobo might need a name. Sinkweh came to mind. You know, like, the name Sinclair, but with ‘kweh.’ Cuz that’s the noise…” Prompto trailed off awkwardly as Noctis shifted in his seat, moving in slightly closer. The two boys were now squished comfortably up against each other, despite there being plenty of space for Noctis to move the other way. 

“You okay, dude?” Prompto probed.

“Yeah, I just… feel safer like this.” Noctis nodded. 

The two were nearing the top of the ferris wheel, and it was slowing down to allow more people on. 

Prompto had to shoot his shot, and he had to do it now. 

“It’s a nice view up here.” He spoke softly, as if he’d learned all his pickup lines from romcoms. (He had.) 

“It is, huh? You know, I’ve been at the top of the Citadel and looked down before, but this… It’s different. It’s nicer. I like this. You were right. It’s not scary.” Noctis sighed happily. 

Prompto looked at Noctis.

Noctis looked at Prompto. 

There was a moment where they just gazed into each other’s eyes - Noctis didn’t shy away from the eye contact, something that Prompto thought was quite touching, considering how much he usually seemed to struggle with the action.

“Noct.” Prompto began, refusing to take his eyes off of the other. “I’ve been thinking.. About today.”

“In what way?” Noctis replied, waiting for the other to continue.

“Well…” Prompto wanted to talk about the hand holding, the tender gazes, the gift-giving, the way Noctis didn’t mind one bit that they’d been mistaken for a couple. He wanted to talk about how Noctis had been so comfortable, so close with him, in a way nobody else ever had. He wanted to talk about how handsome Noctis was, how kind he was, how deserving of a bright and happy future he was. 

He didn’t know where to begin, so he decided to try something else.

Prompto leaned in, not quite as tentatively as he would’ve liked, because something in the back of his mind was telling him to get it all over with. 

The moment Prompto’s lips were about to connect with Noctis’s, the other pulled away, facing his head forward. Prompto’s lips instead planted themselves on the supple skin of his cheek. 

Oh no.

Oh Gods no.

Prompto had gotten this all wrong. 

Noctis had avoided the kiss. 

Prompto shifted over, as far from Noctis as he could without falling off the ferris wheel altogether. “I’m sorry. That was out of order, I… I got the wrong idea, and I jumped to a conclusion and I-” He stammered out. He wanted to sob. He’d ruined everything. 

“No.” Noctis mumbled. “It- it’s not that. I’m sorry, I just- It’s hard to explain.” He was stuttering almost as much as Prompto was. When Prompto looked back over, he saw Noctis’s cheeks had gone bright red. 

“What do you mean…?” He whispered. He felt sick to his stomach, and being so high up in the sky didn’t help one bit. 

“I like you, Prompto.” Noctis leaned over, and rested his head on Prompto’s shoulder. “It’s not that I don’t- I just... Gods, this is gonna sound so dumb.” 

Prompto was heavily taken aback when Noctis snuggled up beside him. He’d never been this confused in his whole life. Why would he reject him, and then do this? “Y- You can tell me. It’s okay.” He tried to reassure the other.

“I don’t like kissing. It grosses me out. It’s like with vegetables- I’m, like, sensitive to textures, and…” Noctis sounded genuinely troubled by his predicament. Prompto cautiously wrapped his arm around Noctis’s shoulder, waiting for him to reject the gesture. He didn’t. Slowly, Prompto carded his fingers through the hair that was poking out from Noct’s beanie.

“Shh. Dude, it’s okay. I… I just shouldn’t have jumped in like that, anyway. I should’ve asked.” It took a moment to dawn on Prompto what Noctis truly meant. “Wait, so, you’re…. I’m…?” 

“I’ve never been able to make a choice for myself like this before. With the whole arranged marriage thing, I… I just want a chance to experience something like this, before it all gets taken from me.” Noctis murmured, snuggling even closer to Prompto, nestling his head into the crook of the other’s neck. 

Of course. Even if Noctis did say yes, Prompto knew it couldn’t be forever. That was enough for him, though. At this moment, he and Noctis were together. 

“I’m glad I can do that for you,” Prompto whispered, “If you’ll have me.” 

“I will.” 

The two held onto eachother, silently, comfortably, for the rest of the ferris wheel ride. 

It was the happiest Prompto had ever felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for being patient! This was by far the longest and most difficult chapter to write, at least so far. I hope the wait was worth it! Thank you so much for the support! 
> 
> By the way, I couldn't have finished this chapter without the help of my good friend Gaynoctgar. She and I made friends over this fic, and it's been one of the most fulfilling friendships I have ever made in a fandom, like, ever. I am so grateful for you, Haley.  
> She wrote a fantastic essay on why Prompto's backstory is heavily fatphobic, which is an issue that actually inspired me to write this fic in the first place. Please check it out here! https://gaynoctgar.tumblr.com/post/622642067248693248/promptos-brotherhood-arc-is-fatphobic-2-electric


	16. doodle dump 2!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I thought that I'd share with you guys some of the art I've done inbetween writing recently.

**A couple of misc. proms**

**Outfit requests**

**The boys... In lurve**

**And an episode prompto shitpost.**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gentle reminder that for more content like this, you can follow my FF tumblr at chubbyargentum.tumblr.com !!


	17. Noctis VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto and Noctis arrive home for dinner with Gladio and Ignis.

Noctis had spent the entire day in a daze. He was out in the middle of Insomnia, as himself, enjoying the Moogle Chocobo Carnival without a care in the world, and with Prompto at his side. 

Prompto was special. Noctis had never felt so close to a person in his entire life. There were times when Noctis just hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off of him - the way he got just so excited over the Chocobos, running to meet them and yet treating them with the utmost respect. Truth be told, Noctis had been more interested in watching Prompto than the birds. The way he’d been ever so patient when Noctis showed his panic around the crowd. Not even Ignis or Gladio were this understanding - they’d usually just tell him to suck it up and get used to it. Prompto had even been so generous as to give Noctis multiple gifts today - taking delivery of his new clothes, buying him donuts and even winning a gigantic chocobo plush for him. Noctis felt well and truly spoiled, and it warmed his heart. 

Ever since Noctis had first been to Prompto’s apartment, he’d started to notice himself experiencing new feelings. His cheeks would become flushed whenever he looked at Prompto, and there wasn’t a single moment throughout the day where he wanted to let go of the other’s hand. Truth be told, Noctis had lied a little - it wasn’t just because of a sense of safety. He wanted to be close to Prompto. He wanted to do even more than just hold his hand, though he could barely tell what that feeling actually meant. What else was there to do? Hug? 

Kiss?

Noctis had sensory aversions, especially when it came to taste and texture. It was up there with the many peculiarities that the citadel had tried to metaphorically beat out of him. His mouth was a sacred place, and nothing could enter it without his explicit consent. Not even a single slice of carrot. So, no, he supposed he didn’t want to kiss Prompto. He didn’t like the idea of kissing anyone, quite frankly - at least on the mouth. There were other ways to express affection. Noctis was grateful for the fact that Prompto respected that about him.

Ever since the non-kiss, Noctis’s mind had been absolutely spinning. What did this mean? Had he been crushing on Prompto this whole time? Was this what a so-called crush really felt like? Was that why he was so infatuated with him? As he sat there on the wheel, cuddled up to Prompto and the chocobo plush adequately dubbed ‘Sinkweh’, he thought over why he felt the way that he did. Prompto was handsome. He had the most captivating eyes, a deep blue that appeared almost purple if Noctis looked for long enough. He rarely made eye-contact with people, but Prompto was an exception to that. Though Prompto’s face was absolutely covered with freckles, Noctis couldn’t help but notice a particularly prominent one on his right cheek - exactly where one of Noctis’s own birthmarks was. What a strange coincidence. When Prompto smiled, his lips were ever so slightly lopsided, and his cushy cheeks creased to show the cutest dimples. Noctis had been told his own smile was a little wonky too, but he found it especially endearing on Prompto. Thinking back, when he’d seen Prompto reach into his cupboard back into the apartment, Noctis’s flushed cheeks at the sight of his exposed midriff were likely attesting to his attraction. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t realised that sooner. 

More importantly, Prompto was kind. Everything he’d done, Noctis knew he’d done with compassion in his heart. It was the reason for him pulling Noct aside at the interview, and it was the reason for him inviting him to the cafe. Noctis couldn’t even count the amount of things Prompto had done for him simply because he _wanted_ to - and all in the span of a week, as well. He’d never been treated with so much consideration in his entire life. He wasn’t the best at reading people, but he knew this much; Prompto cared for him, and that made Noctis care for Prompto back. When Noctis was around Prompto, he felt not just respected, but loved.

Noctis found himself getting captivated by all the little details of Prompto’s person - not that the bigger picture wasn’t just as fantastic to Noct - he just had a habit of being specific. 

It was strange. Noctis had gone from barely knowing what his feelings towards Prompto meant, to very possibly being his… boyfriend. 

That was what they were, right? 

Prompto wouldn’t have tried to kiss him otherwise, surely.

Sitting on this ferris wheel, so close together, Noctis didn’t want to disturb the silence by asking. He just wanted to stay there with his head on Prompto’s shoulder, and drift away into a world where his princehood and engagement didn’t exist. He wanted to live in a world where he and Prompto could be together in peace, at least for a little while. 

Noctis had taken many risks today. He’d taken the risk of going into Insomnia as himself, rather than the Princess, potentially exposing his identity to the world. He’d taken the risk of letting Prompto know exactly how he felt about him, and now, he was taking the risk of introducing Prompto to Gladiolus and Ignis. 

This was something Noct was worried about. Prompto was from a very different walk of life compared to Gladio and Iggy. While Noctis expected them to be understanding of the class difference, he still feared a certain amount of judgement. This was Noctis’s first genuine friend, one that, for once, he hadn’t been paired up with as a result of his royal heritage. He honestly feared that Prompto would feel the need to earn his place in the group. Noctis wouldn’t let that be the case. Prompto belonged by his side now, and he wasn’t going to let anyone chase him away, be it his bodyguard or his retainer. 

That being said, Noctis had concerns about tonight’s dinner date. He and Prompto were an item now. There was absolutely no way he could let either of his guards know about this. What if either one of them let it slip to the Citadel? Prompto could be torn from Noctis for good. He couldn’t let that happen. Not when they’d only just gotten this close. 

There was another fear in the back of Noctis’s head - one that he had been suppressing all day. Gladio’s ‘salad’ comment from the diner. Noctis had vaguely tried to warn Prompto of Gladio’s bluntness before they arrived at the carnival, but he’d been too scared to tell him why that was. He didn’t want to have to call attention to Prompto’s weight any more than he needed to - even after apologising for the first time, he still felt cruel bringing it up. He could only hope that Gladio would have the common sense not to say anything. He feared Ignis would have similar preconceptions, but Noctis knew he at least had the tact not to say anything out loud. The moment either of them even _looked_ at Prompto the wrong way, Noct was gonna be on guard. 

* * *

  
  


The boys were off the ferris wheel now, and with the sun fast setting, they decided it was time to call it a day. It was fast reaching the time Noct had promised Ignis he’d be home for. Prompto walked Noctis back to the car with his arm around Noct’s shoulder. Noctis liked the closeness. Though one arm was gripping firmly onto Sinkweh, his other was around Prompto’s waist, fingers gently entangling themselves with the fabric of Prompto’s shirt. He didn’t seem to mind it. 

This was the closest they’d ever stood together, and it was only now occurring to Noct how short he was in comparison to Prompto. He’d noticed this when he realised he had to tilt his head upwards to gaze into his brand new lover’s eyes. Noctis was used to being shorter than his peers, but it still stung, in a way that he had trouble describing. There were lots of strange things he found himself becoming jealous of, especially as he became more attached to Prompto. His blonde facial hair was hard to see against his pale skin, but now Noctis could see more clearly the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow. Noctis remembered stealing Ignis’s shaving supplies once, despite never once actually needing them. He just wanted to see what it felt like. Prompto was large, but his proportions were stocky - his body was very typically masculine. Broad shoulders that lined up with his waist, and though he most definitely had curves, they did not suggest femininity like Noctis’s own did. He’d thought about this before; the idea of gaining weight itself was not scary to Noctis, rather the idea of gaining it in all the wrong places. He wished his body would operate more like Prompto’s. Or Ignis’s. Or Gladio’s. Or any other man’s. 

Almost on cue, as Noctis thought about his body, he felt an all-too familiar pain in his abdomen. He blinked it away and decided not to think about it too much. He wasn’t due for another few days, according to a sneaky little app he kept on his phone. He wondered if there would be a day where he wouldn’t need to use that app any more. 

“Hey, dude-” Noctis was brought out of his dysphoric trance when Prompto piped up. “We should totally take one more selfie. You know, to like, commemorate this place and shit.” 

“Oh! Yeah, of course.” Noctis nodded. He didn’t need to pose himself much - Prompto picked up his camera with his free hand and Noct positioned Sinkweh so that he could be caught in the frame. They both grinned as the camera made a satisfying _‘click’_. 

“I’ll show it to you when we get back to the car, ‘kay?” Prompto let his camera hang back around his neck, pulling Noctis ever so slightly closer to himself. Noctis decided that he liked it when Prompto did things like that. The sensory input made things feel so much more… real. 

When the two climbed back into the car, Noctis felt every muscle in his body release all tension. There was nobody around to look at him and clock him as the prince. Nobody there to give him a side eye whenever he was close with Prompto. 

“Noct,” Prompto began, before starting the car, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Hit me.”

“The whole kissing thing… Obviously I’m not gonna, you know, do anything that makes you uncomfortable. But I was wondering… Like, I dunno. The boundaries of that. Just for future reference, you know?” Prompto spoke slowly, as if he was nervous of the subject. 

“Oh. Well…” Noctis thought for a moment. His boundaries? He’d never really set any like this before. “I guess it’s just… Mouth to mouth stuff. Like, making out. I don’t like that. Anything else is fair game. That’s why I turned my head on the ferris wheel.” 

Prompto listened intently, gazing into Noctis’s eyes. “So… Would it be okay if I did this?” He leaned over but hesitated, waiting for Noctis’s nod of approval - which he gladly supplied. Prompto gently pressed his lips against Noct’s cheek, cupping his jaw with one hand. Noctis could feel butterflies swell up inside his stomach and his skin turn hot, but it was good. He liked this. Prompto retreated after a second, and immediately stifled a snicker. 

“Dude, you’ve gone bright red.” He pointed out. Noctis sheepishly turned his head away, though he was grinning. “Never thought the Prince would be so bashful. ‘S cute.” 

“Shut up. You’re cute.” Noctis rebutted, and he could feel his cheeks become even hotter. 

“I try my best.” Prompto said, starting the engine. “Now, let us gather our party and venture forth to the fortress of Lucis Caelum.” 

“Nerd.” 

The car ride to Noctis’s apartment was very similar to the previous drive to the carnival - singing along to songs, cracking jokes and generally enjoying each other’s company. Noctis was a little tired out, but he felt energised whenever he was around Prompto. Upon arriving outside the apartment, Noctis tapped Prompto’s shoulder, stopping him before he could exit the car. 

“Just one thing.” Noctis mumbled. “I don’t think we should tell them about what happened today. Like, on the ferris wheel.” 

Prompto stared blankly for a moment before registering what Noctis was talking about. “Oh. Right. Sure, dude. I mean… Shit’s kinda complicated for you right now, isn’t it? I don’t mind keeping it on the down-low.” He smiled. Noctis breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks for understanding, man.”

“No prob.” 

Holding Sinkweh in one arm, Noctis led the way up to his apartment. Prompto quietly followed behind. Maybe he was a little nervous. 

“We’re home.” Noctis called out, as he walked through the front door. 

“Hello there.” Ignis responded from the kitchen area, not immediately looking up. When he did, however, he furrowed his eyebrows. “What on Eos is that?” He was looking at the chocobo plush.

“Oh, this? His name is Sinkweh and you’ll address him as such.” Noctis replied with the utmost dignity, heading for the sofa. Prompto trailed closely behind.

An amused smile crawled across Ignis’s face. “Ah. I see. I apologise for my insolence, Sir Sinkweh.” 

Noctis sat down, placing Sinkweh beside himself. He patted the empty space next to himself, inviting Prompto to sit down as well. 

“Excuse me, where are my manners? Lovely to have you here, Prompto.” Ignis stayed in the kitchen, but he seemed happy enough to talk to the boys as he cooked. 

“Happy to be here! It’s… roomy.” Prompto responded. He was sitting rather strangely, knees together, shoulders a little hunched. Noctis wondered whether he was feeling okay. 

It was now that Noctis finally gave himself a moment to look at Ignis. His hair was styled up and he was dressed in his usual semi-formal attire, but something seemed off. The top button of his shirt had been undone, and there was a strange bruise on his neck. Noctis wasn’t going to mention it. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last.

“Where’s Gladio?” Noct asked, noticing that his bodyguard was missing.

“Ah, I told him to go and grab some drinks. Thought he’d be back by now.” Ignis explained. “Food will be ready by the time he arrives, I’m certain.” 

“Oh- uh- I can’t drink. I’m driving.” Prompto butted in, stuttering. 

“Not to worry. He’ll likely come back with a bottle of diet cola.”

“Oh, that’s perfect.” 

“Not a fan of sugary drinks?” Ignis queried, going back to his cooking. 

“Not really. Sugar gets me way too hyped.” Prompto explained.

"Fair enough. They're not so kind to the waistline, I must admit." Ignis's comment made Noctis's stomach turn. 

As soon as Ignis turned his attention away, Prompto glanced over at Noctis with an expression of anxiety. Noctis decided to whip out his phone and pull up the notes app, hoping to have a private conversation. 

‘are u ok? u look super nervous’ 

Prompto pulled out his own phone and wrote his response. ‘I’m fine. Meeting new people is just kind of scary.’ 

‘i promise iggy is nice!! hes just posh.’ 

“Having a game of King’s Knight?” Ignis called over. He’d seen the two sharing glances at their phones. 

“Oh- yeah. We won’t do it at the table, I promise.” Noctis replied, smoothly. 

Before anyone else could speak, the front door opened. Gladiolus bustled through, carrying a plastic shopping bag. 

“Hey guys.” He waved with his free hand, looking over at Noctis and Prompto. He placed the shopping bag on the counter and went to sit across from the two. “So, you’re the guy Noct’s been telling us about, huh?” 

“Uh- yeah! I’m Prompto. Nice to meet you.” Prompto hesitantly stuck out his hand, and Gladio shook it firmly.

“Gladio.” 

“Don’t get too comfortable. I’m about to serve up.” Ignis spoke. “If you want to sit down at the table, I’ll bring the food over.” 

Noctis, Prompto and Gladio promptly did as they were told. The dining table was rather bare, but there were placemats and knives and forks laid out. There was a small radio in the centre of the table, and Noct decided to switch it on. He wasn’t always fantastic at filtering out background noise, but he felt like quiet pop music might make the atmosphere feel more party-like. 

Prompto sat down in the seat beside Noctis, leaving Gladio to sit opposite them. Ignis approached, carrying two places at a time, and placing them down in front of Noctis and Prompto. He then went to fetch Gladio’s, and his own, followed by glasses and the drinks Gladio had bought. 

The food Ignis had served up looked pretty incredible. Noctis knew by now that he never skimped on presentation. Breaded meat over fluffy white rice, coated in a rich brown sauce. Noctis could smell a concoction of spices, and he couldn’t wait to dig in. 

“I do hope you enjoy this. I forked out a lot of yen for this griffon breast.” Ignis spoke, as he sat down. 

“Griffon? Those things are huge!” Prompto exclaimed.

“Been up close and personal with one, have we?”

“Well- No- I’ve just… seen pictures.” Prompto trailed off. 

“Don’t worry, he’s just teasin’.” Gladio said. “So, Prompto. How about we get to know you, huh?” 

Prompto shifted a little in his seat, trying to get comfortable, resting an elbow on the table. “What do you wanna know?” 

“Hmm…” Gladio thought for a moment. Noctis decided to tuck into his food. Prompto was gently jabbing his griffon cutlet with his fork. “Noct said you two went to school together. Known eachother a while, huh?” 

What a contentious question Gladio had to open with. To give him the benefit of the doubt, though, Noctis was fairly sure he had no idea what had actually happened. 

“We were just in the same class, that’s all.” Prompto responded. “We only started talking after the interview, really.” 

“Oh, yes. You’re very lucky to have had the time alone. Noct decided to send me on a wild chocobo chase to cancel the other interviews.” Ignis chimed in. 

“Thank you for that, by the way.” Noctis replied. 

“Got any hobbies?” Gladio asked, between bites of his food. 

“Uh… Photography’s my job, but I really like taking pictures anyway. I guess you could call that a hobby.” Prompto said.

“You know, we saw the paper you took those pics for. Caught Noct’s good side. You’re pretty decent, I’ll give you that.” 

“Thanks! I gave it my all.”

“He let me pick it out. How cool is that?” Noctis grinned. He felt excited, remembering how Prompto had photographed him. He’d never felt so good in a photo before. Prompto seemed to simply have a way with his camera. Without even thinking, Noct started to rock back and forth in his seat with excitement.

“It’s rude to fidget at the table, Noct.” Ignis muttered. This was something he’d been taught to do by the Citadel - keep an eye out for Noct’s ‘odd’ behaviour and call him out on it. Noct doubted he knew how much it stung. 

“Sorry.” Noctis sat still after that.

“So, how about you guys? What do you do?” Prompto asked, before finally taking his first bite of the meal. “Dude, this is so good…” He mumbled. 

“Well, I for one am Noctis’s personal retainer. I’ve been at his side since we were children. The job mainly bottles down to cooking and cleaning, though.” Ignis explained. 

“Nah, you’re more than that, Iggy. You’re my brother.” Noct replied. “And you train with Gladio and I. That’s something.” 

“Train?” Prompto asked.

“I’m Noct’s bodyguard.” Gladio replied. “Part of that job is making sure we’re all well-trained in self defence. I use a greatsword, Ignis here uses daggers and Noct has this crazy elaborate sword he got for his birthday.”

“The Engine Blade.” Noctis added.

“That’s so cool. I knew you guys were, like, the Crownsguard, but I didn’t know you had specific weapons.” Prompto looked as though he had stars in his eyes. His expression of awe made Noctis smile. Gods, he was cute. “Noct said that if I was in the Crownsguard, I should use a gun.”

“Why’s that?” Gladio asked. 

“Well- when we were at the carnival, they had this shooting game. I guess I got lucky, cuz I won it first try.”

“That’s how we got Sinkweh.” Noctis beamed.

“Sinkweh?”

“The chocobo plushie.” 

“Oh. I was wondering what that thing was. It’s cute. Maybe I’ll get one like that for my little brother” Gladio nodded. “Firearms are cool, but in order to join the ‘Guard you’d need to train up. A lot. Might as well learn how to use a melee weapon while you’re at it, right? It’d be a great way to lose the flab.” 

Noctis could feel the energy surrounding Prompto change. While he’d briefly loosened up during the conversation, he’d gone back to sitting stiffly, like he had been on the sofa earlier. 

“Couldn’t think of a better reason to join the guard.” Prompto chuckled nervously, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. 

Noct wanted to call Gladio out on his bullshit. What he’d said was totally unsolicited, especially considering Prompto’s relationship with his body. Still… Noct didn’t want to cause a scene, or embarrass him. Instead, he just reached under the table, and gently squeezed Prompto’s hand, just to let him know he heard what happened. Prompto squeezed his hand back, as if to say ‘thank you.’ 

“As interesting as our jobs are, I’d quite like to learn more about your day at the carnival.” Ignis jumped in, clearly sensing the sudden tension. Noctis was glad he’d changed the subject - he might’ve actually clawed across the table and fought Gladio himself if he let himself stew any longer. 

The rest of the dinner wasn’t ridiculously tense, but Prompto didn’t speak unless spoken to, and he barely finished his food. Noctis definitely noticed how uncomfortable he seemed. The boys talked about the carnival, hobbies, Ignis’s ability to cook griffon breast and King’s Knight. 

Eventually, it was time for Prompto to bid the others farewell. Noctis could’ve sworn as he stood up to leave that his stomach was a little flatter, as if he was sucking in his gut.

“It was real nice to meet you guys. Thanks for having me over. The meal was awesome.” Prompto sounded cheerful, but by now Noctis could tell it was a facade. The two hugged quickly, and with that, Prompto had left the apartment. 

Noctis didn’t want to let Gladio get away with what he’d said. More importantly, he needed to make sure Prompto was doing okay. Shutting himself in his room, he pulled out his phone and texted his partner. If he was lucky, Prompto wouldn’t have set off in the car yet. 

‘im so sorry abt gladio’

There wasn’t much of a delay before Prompto replied. ‘It’s fine dude!! I’m used to it.’ 

‘that doesnt make it ok. im gonna talk 2 him’ 

‘You don’t have to.’

‘i wont let him treat u like that’ 

Prompto’s next reply took a while to come through. ‘Ok. Thank you, Noct.’ 

Noctis had to hype himself up. He needed to leave his room, call Gladiolus and Ignis over, and talk to them straight. Noctis wasn’t one for confrontation. He had a habit of shutting down. That being said, he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind from time to time, and if he was going to go any further with Prompto as his partner, there was no way he could let this slide. 

“Gladdy, Iggy, can we talk?” He spoke, confidently and loudly, as he exited his bedroom. 

“Yeah. What’s this about?” Gladio asked. He was sat on the sofa beside Ignis. They seemed rather close. No need for Noct to pry. Instead, he quietly went to sit opposite them. 

“I don’t like the way you guys acted tonight.” He said, quite bluntly. 

“The hell do you mean by that?” Gladio’s voice dropped. Noct didn’t like it when he did that. He just loved to intimidate. 

“That shit you said to Prompto wasn’t cool.” 

“What shit?” Gladio actually sounded confused. Did he seriously not remember what he’d said?

“Mind if I make a cup of tea while you two talk this out?” Ignis interrupted, preparing to stand up.

“I’m getting to you too, Ignis.” Noct hated to be firm with these guys, but right now it felt imperative. “Go ahead.”

Ignis nodded and walked to the kitchen. 

“Gladio, remember when we were talking about the Crownsguard?” Noctis continued. 

“What about it?”

“The point of training for the guard is to bulk up, right? So why’d you focus on weight loss like that?” 

Gladio looked tense. “Just thought he’d appreciate the advice.”

“Why?” Noctis took a deep breath, trying not to get too frustrated. “Cuz he’s fat?” He almost immediately regretted using that word. He knew it was purely descriptive - and most definitely true in Prompto’s case - but it still felt so… mean. He’d been told his whole life that being fat was one of the worst things you could be. 

Gladio was silent. He seemed to realise he was in the wrong, but Noctis wasn’t done yet. 

“Iggy, don’t think I didn’t hear what you said, either. Guys… Prompto’s got a shitload of baggage. The last thing he needs is people making him feel like he needs to lose weight, alright? He’s fine as he is. He’s spent his whole life trying to deal with this. Don’t set him back now. I hoped you two would know better.” He found it rather difficult to talk about, but then, he knew it must’ve been much harder for Prompto to have to deal with on a daily basis. 

“...I’m sorry for picking on him. Wasn’t cool of me.” Gladio muttered. 

“Thanks. I’ll pass it on.”

“I was rude as well, so I apologise.” Ignis continued, from the kitchen. 

“By the way, Iggy, I have something else I wanna discuss.” Noctis’s tone had softened since the two had apologised. 

“Go on.” 

Noctis took a deep breath. This was about himself, now. Not Prompto. “You guys know I’m… not normal. Like- This isn’t about me being ‘Noctis’. You know I do weird shit. Like, when I was rocking at the table, earlier, Iggy. I want you to stop calling it out. I dunno what it is, but… It’s just what I do, alright? Leave me be.” 

Gladio and Iggy were silent for a good few seconds. They both knew exactly what Noctis was talking about. 

“Noct.” Ignis came and sat back down on the sofa. He sounded significantly more down-to-earth than usual. 

“Yeah?” Noctis could feel the tears welling up again. He blinked them away. 

“Would you like to see a psychiatrist? Now that you’re an adult, I doubt the Citadel would have any bearing on what you decide to do.” 

Maybe that was a good idea.

“Is this about ‘Noct’, or the weird shit?” Noctis asked. Feeling stressed, he began to rock back and forth again, head down. Ignis didn’t mention it this time. 

“Whatever you feel you need help with. I apologise for having you bottle it all up like that.”

“We’re here for you, Noct. I wish you could’ve told us sooner.” Gladio joined in. 

Noctis sighed, allowing himself to flap his hands for a few seconds - it was as though it released the build up of emotion that was quickly growing inside himself. Then, he looked up at his retainers with a teary smile. 

“Thanks, guys. Thanks so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Prom, and poor Noct too!! I felt like this chapter was important to write, and as sad as it felt antagonising Gladio and Iggy briefly, they can now move on and grow!! The bros all love eachother, really. They need to learn from their mistakes, that's all. 
> 
> Thanks so much for all the support so far!! <3


	18. MASSIVE doodle dump (mostly prom lol) + update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry there hasn't been an update recently. Unfortunately, my beloved kitty Alphonse passed away on Wednesday, and among other things, I haven't had a chance to focus myself on writing the next chapter. It is in the works! I just hope you can all bear with me. In the meantime, here's some doodles I've done as of late! I've done a LOT! Prompto is just... really cathartic to draw, ok?


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